Global Championship Finals: Nihal Sarin runs out of comeback magic, Wesley So takes title

Leading 3-1 after the first set of four rapid games on Sunday, So easily drew the first game and staved off Nihal’s aggressive play to win the second. This ended Nihal’s tale of comebacks in the cash-rich competition.

FILE PHOTO: Sarin Nihal in action at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram on August 8, 2022. | Photo Credit: Velankanni Raj B

At last, Nihal Sarin ran out of his ‘comeback magic’ as Wesley So needed just two games on Monday to gain 1.5 points for a 4.5-1.5 victory in the best-of-eight-games title clash of the $500,000 Chess.com Global Championship Finals, in Toronto.

Leading 3-1 after the first set of four rapid games on Sunday, So easily drew the first game and staved off Nihal’s aggressive play to win the second. This ended Nihal’s tale of comebacks in the cash-rich competition.

So received $200,000 and Nihal got $100,000 – the single biggest pay-cheques of their careers.

It was an incredible performance from Nihal who defeated the likes of Rauf Mamedov, Vladimir Kramnik, Ding Liren, Sam Sevian and Anish Giri to reach the final.

In fact, against Sevian in the quarterfinals and Anish in the semifinals, Nihal bounced back from a deficit to emerge as the winner.