Nihal Sarin, Koneru Humpy clinch individual gold medals at European Chess Club Cup 2026

Indian Grandmasters delivered impressive performances at the European Chess Club Cup 2026 in Montenegro, with Nihal Sarin and Koneru Humpy winning individual gold medals in the open and women’s competitions, respectively.Nihal, playing on Board 2 for Novy Bor Chess Club, scored five points from six games, recording four wins and two draws.His victories included wins over Jorden van Foreest, Karthikeyan Murali and Maxim Rodshtein, helping him secure the individual gold medal.However, his team Novy Bor narrowly missed out on the team title, finishing second behind Bayegan Pendik Sports Club.Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna, who also represented Novy Bor, claimed the individual silver medal on Board 3. He scored five points from six games.Meanwhile, Karthikeyan Murali secured the individual bronze medal while playing on Board 2 for Team Electroprivreda, the Montenegrin chess club that finished 11th on the leaderboard. He scored 4.5 points from six games, including a notable victory over Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus.Arjun Erigaisi finished fourth on Board 1, adding to India's strong showing in the open section.Humpy guides Monte-Carlo to women's team titleIn the European Chess Club Cup for Women 2026, Grandmaster Koneru Humpy delivered a key performance to help Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo win the team championship.Humpy claimed the individual gold medal on Board 2, scoring 4.5 points from six games in the seven-round tournament.Her victory over WFM Nia Donghvani proved crucial in helping her team secure the title.Following the triumph, Humpy expressed her happiness on X, writing, "Delighted to win the European Chess Club Cup Women 2026 with Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo!"My association with this wonderful club started in 2007 and has always been special, and I’m proud to be part of its journey. A fantastic team effort and a memorable victory alongside such wonderful teammates."Nihal will next compete at the London Chess Classic, scheduled from November 24 to December 7.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.