Nihal Sarin wins President Cup in Tashkent for a second year in a row

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
12/13/2025 – Nihal Sarin claimed a convincing victory at the Masters Tournament at the 4th President Cup in Tashkent, finishing on 7/9 and securing first place with a round to spare. A final-round win underlined his dominance, as he ended two points clear of the field. The tournament continued Nihal's strong run in Uzbekistan and brought a notable rating gain, as he concluded the event with a sensational 2836 TPR. | Photo: Uzbek Chess Federation
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Nihal cannot stop winning in Tashkent

Nihal Sarin emerged as the clear winner of the Masters tournament at the 4th President Cup in Tashkent. The 21-year-old ended his impressive run with a final-round victory over Abdimalik Abdisalimov of Uzbekistan. Although Nihal had already secured first place before the last round, he pressed for a win and finished the tournament on 7 points out of 9, ending two full points ahead of his closest chasers.

The Indian grandmaster's score was built on six wins, two draws and a single defeat, the latter coming in round six against Mukhiddin Madaminov. One notable feature of his performance was his efficiency with the white pieces, converting all five of his games with 2hite into victories. His overall result corresponded to a performance rating of 2836 and brought a gain of 14.5 Elo points, lifting his live rating to 2715.5. This places Nihal as India's fifth-highest-rated player and world number 26. The event marked his second consecutive triumph at the President Cup.

Behind the winner, Mukhiddin Madaminov and Shamsiddin Vokhidov both finished on 5/9. The two Uzbek players were separated by tiebreaks, which awarded second place to Madaminov and third to Vokhidov. Their results ensured strong local representation on the podium in an event that featured three players from the host country and six international contestants.

Nihal's success in Tashkent continues a remarkable run of results in Uzbekistan. Since November 2024, he has collected three tournament victories in the capital, having previously won the 3rd President Cup (in November last year) and the 18th Tashkent Open (in March this year). His recent results also reflect a renewed focus on classical chess, supported by his work with compatriot Vishnu Prasanna, which has coincided with a clear upward trend in both performance and rating.

Mukhiddin Madaminov, Nihal Sarin, Shamsiddin Vokhidov

Mukhiddin Madaminov, Nihal Sarin and Shamsiddin Vokhidov | Photo: UzChess

Nihal 1-0 Abdisalimov

Nihal Sarin

Nihal Sarin during his round-seven encounter against Bardiya Daneshvar | Photo: UzChess

Final standings

Rk. Name Pts. TB1
1 Nihal, Sarin 7 0
2 Madaminov, Mukhiddin 5 0
3 Vokhidov, Shamsiddin 5 0
4 Lagarde, Maxime 4,5 0
5 Svane, Frederik 4,5 0
6 Sargsyan, Shant 4,5 0
7 Grischuk, Alexander 4 0
8 Daneshvar, Bardiya 4 0
9 Abdisalimov, Abdimalik 3,5 0
10 Kuzubov, Yuriy 3 0

All games

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Topics: Mukhiddin Madaminov, Nihal Sarin, President Cup 2025, Shamsiddin Vokhidov
Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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