Carlsen crushes Arjun, avenges loss to Praggnanandhaa

United News of India

5 hours ago

Las Vegas, July 20 (UNI) World number one Magnus Carlsen and number two Hikaru Nakamura will face off on Sunday in a high-voltage showdown for the third-place prize of $100,000 at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas, after both carved their way through the lower bracket with gritty and dramatic victories.
The penultimate day of the tournament saw Carlsen mount a stunning comeback after an early loss, while Nakamura edged past two of his American compatriots to set up what many fans are calling the real final of the event.
Carlsen began his day on the back foot, losing his opening match to India's GM R Praggnanandhaa. It was a continuation of his earlier struggles, having lost to the young Indian on the first day of the tournament as well.
However, the Norwegian maestro bounced back in characteristic fashion, winning the next three games with precision and flair to take the match 3-1. His clinical execution of strategic themes and a sharp eye for tactics saw him dominate the rest of the encounter, culminating in a must-win game that was later named 'Game of the Day' for its instructive brilliance.
Rejuvenated, Carlsen went on to sweep Indian prodigy GM Arjun Erigaisi 2-0 in the next round. The first game saw Carlsen dismantle Arjun's position with a timely exchange sacrifice, while the second game witnessed the Indian falling into an inferior position early on, eventually succumbing to a tactical blow that ended the match.
With this, Carlsen secured his place in the third-place clash, collecting four straight wins across two must-win matches.
Meanwhile, Nakamura navigated a tough path of his own. He opened with a convincing 1.5-0.5 victory over GM Wesley So. After a quiet draw in the first game, So blundered in the opening of the second, walking into a tactical net that saw his queen trapped and the game lost in just 17 moves.
The critical test came in Nakamura's next match against GM Fabiano Caruana, which went all the way to tiebreaks. Caruana missed several winning chances, including a key moment in the first game where he settled for a draw despite having a significant edge. Nakamura, under heavy time pressure, survived multiple scares and capitalized on Caruana's missed opportunities in the blitz segment. In the final game, Nakamura took control early and converted his advantage smoothly, winning the match 3-1 and advancing to the third-place playoff.
The much-anticipated Carlsen-Nakamura clash will headline Sunday's final day of the $750,000 tournament, with the winner walking away with $100,000 and the loser receiving $60,000. In the title match, GM Levon Aronian will face GM Hans Niemann, with $200,000 on the line for the champion and $140,000 for the runner-up. Matches for fifth and seventh place will also be held, featuring the remaining four players: Caruana, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun, and So.
All games in the tournament are being played in the freestyle (Chess960) format. UNI BDN GNK