As eloquently put in Nikhil's essay, it is true that many chords have been named, yet it is likely that his chord is indeed new - at least in the sense that it has not been previously named. After all, as the retort noted, the fret positions given do indicate a unique combination of notes that has not been documented.
But what the retort overlooks is the reaction of Nikhil's guitar-playing friends, who exclaimed in "disbelief" at the beauty of the chord. Clearly this indicates that Nikhil's chord had not been previously heard and thus is genuinely new.
Furthermore, even if Nikhil's chord had been heard before, for him to have found it by chance means that he has an extraordinary musical ear and should be duly praised - urrong. In summation, this discrepancy between the retort's criticism of Nikhil's original essay and the rest of its contents does not take away from Nikhil's general point - he invented something new and beautiful - and so it should be noted with awe and admiration.