‘Complete nonsense’: Nihal Salin labels Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri ‘painting style’ in front of candidates

New Delhi: When the 2026 Chess Candidates Tournament comes to Cyprus, the name Anish Giri remains synonymous with a strange and frustrating memory from the past. 14 draws in 14 games. A legendary performance in the 2016 Candidates’ Tournament earned the current Dutch No. 1 player the nickname “King of the Sweepstakes.”But when the 31-year-old claimed the candidacy crown 10 years later and earned the right to challenge Dommaraju Gukesh, Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin pointed out that “Drwaish Giri” was an old stereotype that ignored the reality of elite chess.“To be honest, I’m very, very convinced that people saying Anish is an unattractive player are nonsense.” Nihal Said this in an exclusive interview with Times of India on the eve of the match. “Actually, I believe he was a huge fighter. The draw thing is an absolute myth.”

The “myth” of the lottery kingGeary himself knew the story well. In an interview with TimesofIndia.com, the Dutch number one revealed the unique hurdles of the candidate cycle, noting that he had to wait to hire a second assistant coach (assistant coach) as his top option was so good that he eventually qualified for the tournament himself.“I know exactly what a good second time is because it was such a great second and he became my rival,” Jiri joked.

Nihal pointed to Giri’s victory at the 2025 FIDE Swiss Grand Prix, where he qualified for the event with an unbeaten record (five wins and six draws), as proof of his winning intentions.“To win the race by half a point, he obviously won quite a few races as well,” Nihal noted. “When top players play against each other, a lot of draws happen because that’s what chess is. If both players play to their absolute potential, it’s a draw. That’s what chess is like.”Nihal’s 2026 Candidate PredictionsWhile many experts have their sights set on either Fabiano Caruana or Hikaru Nakamura, Nihal Sarin’s assessment of the 2026 class suggests the race will be more fluid.While he respected America’s established giants, he also put the spotlight on Uzbekistan’s Javokil Zindarov.“If I had to guess, maybe Fabi or Sindu [Sindarov],” Nihal told SciDev.Net. “Zindarov has had a great year so far and played some amazing moves. Of course, if Prager puts on a great event, that’s absolutely fine. You can never exclude the light either. “Nihal also warned against excluding two-time European champion Matthias Bruebaum. While some viewed Brumbaum’s style as pragmatic, Nihal saw a dangerous pitfall.“He’s very good at staying safe. Not attractive, but safe. If the opponent tries to go crazy on him, he’s very good at punishing him. It’s a very smart way to win games,” Nihal commented.The women’s arena is crowdedNihal turned his attention to the women’s candidates, saying the competition is more unpredictable than the Open.“I wouldn’t be surprised whoever wins. I think everybody can beat everybody there,” he said.However, he prefers experience as the deciding factor.“I guess Aleksandra Goryachkina or Tan Zhongyi will probably win because they have done it before. I believe it is easier to have the belief that because you have done it before, you can do it again.”As Saturday’s marathon begins, reputations like “Drawish Giri” or “Loser Bluebaum” mean little. In Nihal’s words, “Absolutely everyone can win.”