Nihal Sarin on Winning the Bullet Chess Championship 2026

by Jyotsna Bhushan - 04/07/2026

Nihal Sarin's Bullet Chess Championship 2026 triumph was one of the most remarkable performances of his career. After defeating some of the world's fastest players, he capped it off by beating Alireza Firouzja 15 games in a row in the final. In a recent conversation with IM Sagar Shah, Nihal spoke about his mindset and the subtle skills that define bullet chess, his friendship with the late GM Daniel Naroditsky and much more. Read the full interview to discover the story behind one of the greatest bullet performances ever.

15 Straight Wins Against Alireza in the finals!

Nihal Sarin has never been someone who does things quietly. But even by his standards, his performance at the Bullet Chess Championship 2026 was something else. The young Indian grandmaster tore through the field, beating some of the fastest players on the planet, and saved his most stunning performance for the finals, where he defeated Alireza Firouzja 15 games in a row to claim the title. In this conversation with Sagar Shah, Nihal opens up about what it felt like to be in that kind of form, the nuances of bullet chess that most people never think about, the online sessions with Daniel Naroditsky that shaped him as a player, and what lies ahead, including the Chennai Grand Masters, the Esports World Cup, and his first appearance on India's Olympic A team.

Nihal Sarin wins Bullet Chess Championship 2026! | Photo: Chess.com India

Sagar Shah (SS): Welcome, Nihal! Huge congratulations on winning the Bullet Chess Championship 2026. When you gave an interview after winning, you said it was one of your best victories. Generally, people say bullet is not very serious; how do you see it? How important was this?

Nihal Sarin (NS): It probably is the best result of my life so far. Of course, Bullet is not mainstream; it's not that serious obviously, but it is a lot of fun, and it's quite addictive also. I really like shorter time controls. In one minute you can still play a somewhat decent amount of chess; there is still time to make some decent moves. It's a lot of fun mostly, but also when it's a tight match against somebody insanely strong, it also gets a bit tense.

SS: It's adrenaline-pumping! And I think even for the viewers, it's one of the most exciting formats to watch.

NS: Yeah definitely. For viewers, it depends, of course- not everyone, but generally the shorter the format) the better, although Bullet can be a bit too short for the average viewer. Things might be happening a bit too fast.

An old video that shows just how fast Nihal thinks! | Video: ChessBase India

SS: I think Blitz is perhaps the sweet spot. Generally, what I love is that one match gets all the attention. In Bullet, everyone can watch that one game, while in World Rapid and Blitz there are so many games happening at once and it's difficult to follow.

NS: Definitely.

SS: I think Blitz is perhaps the sweet spot. Generally, what I love is that one match gets the attention. In World Rapid and Blitz and every other tournament, many players are playing. For viewers, it's difficult to follow so many games. Here (Bullet Championship 2026), it was different.

NS: Definitely.

SS: You managed to beat Arjun, you beat Andrew Tang, and of course you beat Alireza in the finals. Would you say Alireza is right now the best bullet player, and now that you beat him, you became the best bullet player in the world?

NS: No! (laughs) I am definitely not the best.

SS: You don't think so? But you beat him 15 games in a row. That's huge! It is no easy task.

NS: Yeah, obviously. I don't remember whether it was Eric or Aman (Aman Hambleton) who mentioned it to me, and I was completely shocked. I was like, "What?" Also I think that's the only reason why something like that even happened, because I somehow managed to get into such a nice flow state. I was just completely into the match, just playing the games, and somehow I was able to find really nice resources and was managing to fight very well with low time. I just happened to be fully into the games and I didn't even realize how many in a row or whatever.

Bullet Chess Championship 2026 Final: Nihal Sarin vs. Alireza Firouzja. | Video: Chess.com

SS: Were you even looking at the scorecard at that time?

NS: Of course. Because it is right above the games. But I had no idea how many in a row or anything. If I had realized I won this many games in a row, I am sure I would have understood. (laughs)

SS: This flow state you talk about. Magnus speaks about it too. He gets into it quite a lot in World Rapid and Blitz tournaments and so on. What is that state like?

NS: I don't know how to explain it. It is when you are so deeply into the match. You are just fully focused, but in a way where everything is just flowing, and you are completely zoned in but not in a very anxious way. You are really relaxed. Like in cricket, I have heard my dad say, when a batsman is set, they can see the ball like a football.

SS: In chess terms, could it be that you can predict what your opponent will play next when in flow state?

NS: Predict, maybe. Also, you just happen to see a lot of good moves and resources quickly, and you are playing very well. You are in that killer mode but also completely calm at the same time. Very calm and very sharp at the same time. I don't know how to describe it. It just happens. I don't know if you can make it happen.

The look of someone completely in the zone. | Photo: Michal Walusza

SS: Speaking of lag, playing from India was earlier an issue. Has it become better?

NS: Yes, definitely. It became better. I think there is a server in Mumbai now which is actually fantastic, so it's definitely a lot better than before. I was playing from Mumbai. On the final day, I played from the S8UL bootcamp. Being in Mumbai definitely helped.

SS: Did you plan to be in Mumbai specifically for the Speed Chess Championship?

NS: No, no. After the World Rapid and Blitz Teams in Hong Kong, I went and stayed in Mumbai for a few days.

SS: That's serious dedication towards Bullet chess!

NS: I don't know about that (laughs), but my only thought was that Bullet is something I do really enjoy, so if I am playing, I will try to play under the best circumstances possible with the current geographical situation.

SS: I have an advantage inherently. I live in Mumbai. The only thing is I have to learn how to play good Bullet (laughs). I played a tournament here in Lima and I played so poorly under time pressure because I haven't played for a long time. And I was thinking to myself how to improve to play under time pressure and I will you because you play so well under time pressure. But if you tell me that the secret is to just practice over the years, then I have no hope.

NS: No. It's not like that. Definitely more practice, especially Blitz and Bullet, really improves the time management skills. You will be exposed to that situation a lot, having to make a lot of decisions in very little time. The only way to get better at faster time controls is to make better split-second decisions. When you put yourself in that situation a lot, eventually you will improve.

SS: So your advice to get better at Bullet is to just play more?

NS: To get better at anything in life, practice should help.

SS: Do you ever analyze your Bullet games?

NS: Not really. Unless something really interesting happens, especially in the opening, maybe I will check; otherwise no.

SS: What mouse do you use, Nihal?

NS: I use a mouse called Logitech G Pro. It's wireless, quite light, very comfortable. I saw that Hikaru was using this mouse. I really wanted to get it. (Smiles) There is a technology called Lightspeed with this wireless mouse, which basically reduces the latency by a lot. It's a wireless mouse, but it's as good as a wired mouse.

Nihal Sarin's magical mouse skills. | Video: ChessBase India

SS: Is there a reason you don't choose a wired mouse?

NS: It's a very personal preference thing. I just like wireless better. I just felt it's cooler, and not having a wire is very nice. There is nothing to obstruct your movement. But I wouldn't say one is necessarily faster than the other. For pure gaming, maybe wired is still a bit faster because of the direct connection, but Hikaru uses a wireless mouse; many other strong players use a wireless mouse. Tang, who is said to be maybe the fastest player ever, uses a wired mouse. It's a very personal thing.

SS: It's a little bit like Harry Potter, you choose your wand. I don't know if you have read it.

NS: I watched the movie!

SS: I think for a serious bullet player this is important: to choose their mouse. It's a big element. When Magnus was playing at the ASEAN Esports event, he didn't care which mouse it was because it was a 10-minute game. Once you have 10 minutes, you can take any mouse. But if it's 1 minute, it's really important.

NS: If you are Magnus, even a touchpad would do. (Laughs)

SS: Switching between bullet and classical, many people say don't play too much Bullet because it will affect your classical. Have you understood how to switch between these two modes of thinking?

NS: Yeah, I think I am quite comfortable switching. The advice makes perfect sense. I can totally see where it's coming from. But I have been playing both for a while and I felt quite comfortable switching. For example, sometimes even an hour before a classical game I might just go and play some 15-second games. I am not advising this at all! But when the classical game starts, I am definitely not going to play like everything is on fast forward. It's fine.

Meanwhile, in classical chess... | Video: Chess.com India

SS: Would you play those 15-second games just to get your brain working?

NS: Yeah. Or I am just bored. I just feel like it at that moment.

SS: Actually, I remember when you were improving as a player, playing a lot of online chess was still very debatable. You were one of those guys who just said "I like to play, I am going to play."

NS: The advice makes perfect sense; I can totally see where it's coming from. The traditional wisdom was that blitz is bad. But it very much depends on person to person. For me personally, getting to play a lot of blitz online is where I got so many opportunities to play against much stronger players like Hikaru and Magnus. You get bashed by them initially, but when you keep getting that exposure, you are forced to adapt. You either have to somehow adapt or you just run away.

SS: It's like survival mode switches on.

NS: Exactly. And also, playing so many games in so many different types of positions improves your feel and knowledge. Even during classical games, sometimes it's a completely random opening or type of position and I could sometimes remember. That experience definitely helps.

SS: There are two types of Bullet players - players like you, Alireza, Hikaru, Magnus who are good at all formats, and then specialists like Botvinnik and Andrew Tang. They are very good at Bullet or Blitz. Is the style of playing Bullet different?

NS: It's hard to say. Botvinnik and Tang just don't play so much over the board anymore, and when you are playing only that format and focusing much more on it, you develop a special repertoire and Bullet tricks. That's quite different.

SS: In this entire match, I didn't play any special Bullet openings from you, you just played normal chess.

NS: So do they! But they have much more set openings. For Bullet, it's probably a good thing to stick to one thing, because when you have played the same thing so many times, you can move very, very fast. You are seeing pretty much everything. The most important thing in Bullet is to get positions that allow you to move as fast as possible, where you feel the best. Generally, setups are good rather than very concrete variations, because you can just make moves without blundering.

SS: Magnus is said to have very high accuracy even in Bullet; what do you think about his Bullet games?

NS: Oh yeah. Nowadays he doesn't play as much, but back when he was playing a lot of Bullet on Lichess, he was never the fastest. His mouse skills were decent, but Hikaru, Alireza, Tang, even myself, by pure mouse skills and scrambles, we were quite a bit faster. But Magnus was just so strong in chess. He would just outplay you before it got to that point. He was, of course, not slow either, definitely good enough.

SS: Do you remember any other memorable long Bullet sessions?

NS: The one with Magnus was really, really special. I can't remember anything quite as long. I have played some really long ones but not against somebody as strong, for sure. With Daniel Naroditsky, we played a lot of blitz, 3+0, quite a few times around 40 games in a stretch. Like four or five hours. And we both wouldn't back down.

SS: It was very beautiful of you to dedicate your win to him. I think playing with him has helped you to improve as a player.

NS: Yeah, it's really tough to not see him. He was always so nice to me. I would say we were good friends, although we could never get to meet in person. I think he is one of the players I have played the most games against. Many a time, on Chess.com, when I wanted to play Blitz, it's very hard to find opponents because my rating was fairly high. He was the one guy who was definitely going to play a good match rather than quit after one or two games.

SS: Was it ever planned, or would you just both be online and start?

NS: No, it was never planned. He was always happy to play. He would always play a good match. Many would run after one or two wins, especially "win quit", but not him.

SS: That's gentlemanly behavior.

NS: Absolutely. And he was someone who really loved the game so much, gave so much to it. Needless to say, it was a massive loss. I didn't play on Chess.com for like two weeks or more, which is probably strange coming from me. The void was just rushing in.

SS: The Naroditsky Memorial is starting on July 3rd. I am actually going there to play. Would you have come if you had the visa?

NS: Definitely! If I had the visa, definitely. Hopefully another time.

SS: One thing I wanted to say, when you play these intense Bullet matches and it gets over and you come out of your room, and everything outside is completely normal. Sometimes it blows the mind. Because when you are playing over-the-board chess, there is a tournament environment; there are people coming and congratulating you. Here you will see cars moving; no one even knows what you just did.

NS: Yeah, it's crazy. It's like you are stepping into an alternate universe. During an intense match, you are just completely zoomed in, sucked into your screen, you just don't know what is happening outside. That's how it should be ideally. That's where the flow state is. When you are completely in your own world.

SS: When you don't know where you are. You could be in Mumbai, in the US, anywhere.

NS: You are just inside your screen.

SS: I was talking to someone and they said Nihal has this ability to flag opponents even when they have a rook and he just has a king. Is that true?

NS: I mean, I am not that good at it actually. I would say I am a lot better at not getting flagged than actively flagging. My biggest strength is to convert or hang on and defend with low time, and somehow not get flagged rather than actively going for a flag. The best at dodging everything with the king, dodging all the mines and moving so fast - that was Daniel Naroditsky. He was insane at that, actually. His king would always find a way. It would never step into anything. And even if he didn't premove, his mouse speed was just so high.

SS: Maybe you learned from him a bit there.

NS: Definitely.

SS: Somehow this conversation is opening up so many things about Bullet chess that I had never appreciated before. It's opening a new world. I think it will happen the same for the people who watch it and perhaps look at Bullet as not just speed. There are so many little things which those who are good at are working on.

NS: There are many subtle nuances. Anticipation is the biggest thing, more than mouse speed, actually. It's anticipation. What is your opponent going to move? When might he strike you with some dirty trick? You have to be ready for it. That's also when to pull one yourself.

SS: Before we end, a few quick topics. Next we will see you at the Chennai Grand Masters

NS: Yes. Very much looking forward.

The exciting tournament line-up. | Photo: Chennai Grandmasters

SS: It will be a lot of fun to play in India itself. No visa needed, no long flights. And also played last year.

NH: Yes. Will you be in Chennai?

SS: I will try my best to come. Regardless, I will follow it closely. It will be a lot of fun. Then the Esports World Cup in Paris in August?

NS: Yes, somewhere around August 11 to 15.

SS: And this time, it's not just you from S8UL, Aravindh has also qualified.

NS: Actually, Aravindh has qualified not exactly to the main EWC, yet it seems. He played absolutely amazing in Atlanta. He is an absolutely amazing player. He is having a bit of a rough time right now in classical. I respect his games a lot. I am sure he will come back.

SS: How has it been, one year as part of S8UL? I saw they published a documentary recently. Did you see it?

NS: I have not watched it yet.

S8UL's documentary on Nihal Sarin. | Video: S8UL

SS: Very nice footage of you in Riyadh; it's beautifully made. I think their support is very cool in general.

NS: I am extremely grateful to them for the opportunity. It's absolutely wonderful. They are really friendly, very close, almost like family. Always ready to help. For the Bullet Championship and the EWC, I went to Mumbai and played from their bootcamp; they were always so quick to arrange everything, set up everything, and support in whatever way. I am just very grateful to be a part of the team.

SS: When you come to Mumbai, do you get to see the city?

NS: I have seen a little bit but not much at all.

SS: Next time, if you want a guide, I can help.

NS: Sure, definitely, definitely!

SS: And we are all very much looking forward to the Olympiad. Would it be your first time playing for the A team?

NS: Yes! After Chennai (44th Olympiad), this will be my second Olympiad, but first time on the A team. I am very very much looking forward. It will also be a very fun tour...

SS: ... with your friends? Pragg, Arjun, Gukesh and Vidit!

NH: Yeah. Vidit is the "old guy" in the team! (Laughs)

The trio will reunite after a long time! | Photo: Sunway Sitges 2018

SS: Vidit might also make it to the Esports World Cup.

NS: Yes! It will be really nice if he makes it. Wishing him the very best. He is definitely a favorite.

SS: Nihal, thank you for giving your precious time. Many times your schedule has been so intense that we have never been able to do a long one like this. I really enjoyed it.

NS: No worries, my pleasure. Thank you so much. I know you have a much busier schedule, honestly.

SS: I don't have that much pressure as the players, but this time I am also going to play, so maybe I will feel a little bit of it! I don't have any expectations for myself, but I am inspired by the way you played. I have a few ideas to take for my own game as well.

NS: Glad to hear that! All the best for your games. I hope you do really well. Have fun!

Check out the full video here: