From 7 to 12 April, more than 500 players took part in the 5th Open Chess Menorca 2026. The open events were, naturally, overshadowed by the strong Invitational Masters, in which world champion Gukesh Dommaraju was in action.
However, it was Gukesh's compatriot Nihal Sarin who stole the show. Ranked only nine points behind the world champion on the rapid chess ratings list, Nihal dominated the tournament. The world number 22 defeated Gukesh twice - alongside Gukesh's 2–0 score against Pentala Harikrishna, this was the only 2–0 result of the event.
Nihal led by one point over Ruslan Ponomariov after the first half of the event. Ponomariov stayed close behind, and Richard Rapport also did his best to push for the top spot. In the end, however, Nihal prevailed and secured first prize with a 6 out of 10 score.
Check out the Endgame Magic with GMs Karsten Müller and Nihal Sarin!
In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
The London System is one of the most popular openings at every level of chess but not all Londons are the same. In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: 5...cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 sidelines
Gukesh finished only in fourth place, yet how close it was is shown by the fact that a single win against Nihal would have been enough to give him a share of first place. With only three draws, the world champion - likely already mentally focused on a potential world title match against Javokhir Sindarov - once again showed great fighting spirit.
Gukesh Dommaraju facing Leinier Domínguez with the white pieces | Photo: Saji Mathew
What conclusions can be drawn from these results remains open. Naturally, the performance of the 19-year-old world champion, following a series of disappointing results, was under particular scrutiny. He also announced his decision to significantly reduce his tournament schedule, as he confirmed that he will forgo his place as a regular in this year's Grand Chess Tour - he will only take part in two rapid and blitz events.
In round eight, Gukesh lost for the second time in this tournament to Nihal Sarin.
In shared second place: Ruslan Ponomariov and Richard Rapport | Photo: Saji Mathew
In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.
Final standings
All games
Links
Two Super Grandmasters from India explain the ins & outs of Attack, Tactics an Calculations in these two video courses.
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