Mastermind and master of minds, the Srinath Narayanan touch in Indian chess

For Srinath, leading this golden generation has never been just about board technicalities or the engine lines. It is about what happens in the dark corridor after the disaster.

For a sport that is inherently solitary and brutally individual for the better part of a career, team events cut like a double-edged sword. As elite Grandmasters, they are expected to deliver on command. But when things go south, the burden is suffocating, because suddenly your moves dictate someone else’s fate.

Srinath, one of Indian chess’s finest tacticians, is an even more astute man-manager. He understands the psychological toll when an individual feels solely responsible for a collective collapse.

Nihal Sarin in complete disbelief after losing on time against M Pranesh at 2026 Global Chess League. (GCL)

“It’s a very difficult feeling because you feel responsible, and no matter how much you tell the person that it happens, it’s a difficult feeling to wipe out,” Srinath said.

The workaround? “The first thing you need is time and space to recover, to get into a better emotional space. Then it’s nice to have people around who can put you in a better mood, do something else, get your mind off it. This is what we tried. We had a team dinner, and then we usually play some games at the end of the day.”

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The reset worked. Nihal may not have carried American Gambit into the final, but less than 24 hours later, he walked back into the very same hall, sat across the very same opponent, and beat Pranesh twice in two games to help Gambit beat Masters and seal third place.

Time-tested bond

Srinath’s faith in Nihal isn’t just sentimental; it is built on years. Having coached him closely between 2016 and 2022, Srinath knows the ceiling of his game.

“Nihal is a great talent, still a little bit underrated. Once he gets a bit more confidence and a self-belief that aligns with his playing level, he will be ready to make the next jump,” Srinath says, “Outwardly, Nihal is a little less intense than the other athletes around his age, and I believe that’s actually a big plus point.”

India captain in action at Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. (Michal Walusza/FIDE)

A near-identical ghost resurfaced in Samarkand. During Round 6 of the 2026 Chess Olympiad, Nihal blundered a winning position against Nodirbek Yakubboev, costing defending champions India two match points against arch-rivals Uzbekistan. The defeat dealt a heavy blow to India’s title defence, practically handing the Uzbeks a runway to steamroll toward gold.

Once again, Nihal and Srinath found themselves standing in the wreckage of a critical match. And once again, Srinath refused to let a player drown alone. Staying true to his code of never scapegoating anyone in a team setup, the captain threw his full weight behind Nihal, naming him India’s Player of the Day despite the heartbreak.

Super tough day against Uzbekistan. Indian Open team’s first loss in any team event since 2022.

Starting from the 2024 Olympiad, we’ve had a ritual of picking our Player of the Day. Yesterday, it was unanimous: Nihal.
The message was: Whilst results do matter, the effort and… pic.twitter.com/Jidky6d8Qr

— Srinath Narayanan (@srinathchess) September 22, 2026

Srinath insisted the decision was unanimous. Given the blind faith this golden generation places in their skipper, it’s hard to doubt it otherwise.

That is Srinath’s true strength: the ease with which he makes complex, high-stakes decisions look simple and completely owns them. Back at the 2024 Budapest Olympiad, he slotted Arjun Erigaisi, who was knocking on the door of 2800 and India’s top-ranked force, all the way down on Board 3. Nobody blinked. Arjun ripped through the field, grabbed individual gold, and served as the battering ram for India’s historic title run.

In Samarkand, he pulled off the most shocking tactical call of them all by fielding D Gukesh on Board 4.

The golden generation of Indian chess which has the likes of Gukesh, Pragg, Arjun & Nihal have a lot of faith in Srinath and his decisions. (Michal Walusza/FIDE & Rafal Oleksiewic/FIDE)

Srinath once again insisted it was a unanimous team decision, but the reigning World Champion had no hesitation admitting the truth. It was his own call. Gukesh felt R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun were in much better form, so he put his hand up and volunteered to drop down the board order. For a world champion to willingly push himself down to Board 4 says everything about his lack of ego, but more than that, it shows the trust this group has in Srinath’s calls.

Pragg also operates on that same wavelength with his “Sri Anna.” India’s top-ranked player admitted he wouldn’t think twice about playing Board 4 or even sitting out on the reserve bench if Srinath told him it was the right move for the team.

What Srinath couldn’t fully achieve as a player, he is pouring back into the sport by standing firmly behind the likes of Nihal, Arjun, and the rest of this generation. Having worked with them from the ground up, he understands exactly what makes them tick.

Defending their Olympiad gold might look like a massive uphill climb from here, but medal or not, Srinath keeps proving he is the right man to steer Indian chess through its biggest moments.