18-07-2025
Freestyle Grand Slam Tour: Arjun Erigaisi storms into semi-final; R Praggnanandhaa out of title race
File photo of Arjun Erigaisi.
In a dramatic quarterfinal at the $750,000 Freestyle Grand Slam Chess Tour in Las Vegas, Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi advanced to the semifinals by defeating Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov 1.5-0.5, while compatriot R Praggnanandhaa lost to USA's Fabiano Caruana in an intense 3-4 battle.
Americans Levon Aronian and Hans Niemann also secured victories in their quarter-final matches. Aronian defeated Hikaru Nakamura 2.5-1.5, while Niemann overcame Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov 4-2.
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The semifinals will see Arjun facing Aronian, and Niemann competing against Caruana.
In the lower bracket matches, world number one
Magnus Carlsen
defeated India's Vidit Gujrathi 2-0, showing a return to his winning form.
American Wesley So claimed victory over Samuel Sevian with a score of 1.5-0.5, while Leinier Dominguez Perez secured a comfortable 1.5-0.5 win against Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva.
Vincent Keymer of Germany, who won the first leg, continued his success by defeating American Robson Ray 2.5-1.5.
Arjun displayed exceptional skill in both games against Abdusattorov, maintaining an advantage throughout. In the second game, playing with white pieces, he gained an early advantage by winning a rook for a bishop.
In the first game, despite holding an early advantage, some unforced errors by Arjun in the later stages allowed Abdusattorov to secure half a point.
The match between Praggnanandhaa and Caruana was particularly intense, featuring seven decisive games. Praggnanandhaa took the lead three times during the match, with both players trading victories until the sixth game.
Caruana ultimately prevailed by winning the decisive seventh game. However, Praggnanandhaa still has a chance to continue in the tournament through the lower bracket, where he joins seven other players in another knockout format.
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