When two generational talents, each specialising in the shortest form of chess, face each other, expecting fireworks on the board is not unfair. So when the flamboyant Frenchman Alireza Firouzja was pitted against Indian speed demon Nihal Sarin in the longest format, Classical chess, in the ninth round of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 tournament, the stage was set for a big spectacle. The duo battled for seven hours before Firouzja handed the joint-leader of the event ahead of this round, Nihal, his first loss of the event, a result that also cost him the lead in the race to the Candidates.
Playing with White in the Alapin Sicilian Defense, Nihal entered with a clear plan and gained a decent time advantage out of the opening. He castled on the kingside, opened up his queenside to develop the minor pieces, and, as things were looking smooth, went into a deep think while spending 34 minutes, nearly 50% of his clock, on his 15th move. His cautious approach seemed to pay off when Firouzja misplaced his queen just two moves later. However, when Nihal missed a chance to give a check to the black queen and instead attacked it directly with a pawn push, his edge quickly fizzled out.
INTERACTIVE: How Nihal lost a 7-hour battle against Firouzja
From that point, the lengthy Classical game shifted to a sharp battleground, with both players caught in a huge time scramble that practically imitated a blitz or bullet game. Just as Nihal was about to reach time control, he blundered big time, losing an essential passer and shifting the momentum firmly to Firouzja.
The French No. 1 could not have known it then, but he was about to face one of the tidiest defences from one of his favourite opponents, as Nihal mustered a mighty effort to stretch the game. The match continued for four more hours in an extremely sharp position where accuracy was undoubtedly compromised. In the end, it was the two-time Candidates player, Firouzja, who took a big step toward making that a third time.
Arjun Erigaisi beat Sam Sevian to join Nihal with 6 points. (Photo: FIDE/Michal Walusza)
The game also served as an answer to a query, or rather, a mystery posed by Firouzja himself, who has long struggled to understand what has prevented Nihal from breaking into the world’s super-elite. Among India’s top players in Classical chess, D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun Erigaisi have all ascended to greater heights, while Nihal has yet to fully fulfil that promise in the game’s longest format.
INTERACTIVE: How Arjun beat Sam Sevian
India’s remarkable surge in chess talent has left many, including Firouzja, pondering Nihal’s place in the hierarchy. “Nihal has a very good playing style, but I don’t know why he doesn’t have as high a rating as Praggnanandhaa or Arjun. It’s a bit of a mystery to me because he is a very strong player,” Firouzja, the youngest player ever to reach a 2800 Elo rating, had told The Indian Express. Although he praised Nihal’s style, calling him “extremely strong and very talented,” Firouzja has yet to face that same speed demon across the board in a classical chess game.
Arjun joins Nihal, Vaishali stays in contention
Arjun Erigaisi, who had led the event at one stage, seemed to rediscover his momentum after a shaky loss in round 7. He capitalised on a one-move blunder by his American opponent, Sam Sevian, applying pressure that forced Sevian to resign by the 51st move.
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With this win, Arjun moved level with Nihal, both tied on 6 points and currently placed joint-second within a group of seven players.
Vaishali stayed joint second in the leaderboard after playing a draw against China’s Yuxin Song. (Photo: FIDE/Michal Walusza)
After losing her previous round to Bibisara Assaubayeva, defending champion in the women’s category, R. Vaishali drew her match with up-and-coming Chinese talent Yuxin Song. This helped her stay in the joint-second position, just 0.5 points behind leader Kateryna Lagno. Vaishali, however, is joined by three more players — Tan Zhongyi, Yuxin and Assaubayeva — all with 6.5 points.
It was a devastating heartbreak for Divya Deshmukh, who had been having an excellent tournament as the only one of two female players in the Open section. Divya held her ground steadily throughout her match against Hungarian GM Sanan Sjugirov before blundering a bishop. Sensing inevitable checkmating ideas from Sjugirov, Divya was forced to resign on the spot.
Sensing inevitable checkmating ideas from Sanan Sjugirov, Divya Deshmukh was forced to resign on the spot. (Photo: FIDE/Michal Walusza)
The reigning World Champion, D. Gukesh, by his own standards, is enduring one of his worst Classical events, but he managed to get back on his feet. After going on a tilt and losing three matches in a row, Gukesh secured his second consecutive draw. He faced serious pressure from Armenian GM Robert Hovhannisyan but handled it with care to move to four points.
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The most disappointing Indian among the 18-member contingent was Vidit Gujrathi, who mishandled a completely winning position against Shant Sargsyan of Armenia and had to settle for a draw. Vidit, who has shown a recent tendency to falter in favourable positions, was left dejected after squandering a prime opportunity to join Nihal and Arjun in joint-second place. The draw leaves the defending champion in 23rd place with 5.5 points, a result that deals a significant blow to his title defence hopes.
