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India Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: Aronian wins, Erigasi, Praggnanandhaa finish 6th and 7th
Levon Aronian and his family. (Image: X/@attackingchess) Levon Arnoian won the Vegas Freestyle Chess Grandslam in the 2025 Ergaisi and Praggnanandhaa finished sixth and seventh respectively. Both Indians won 40,000 and 30,000 USD respectively India's top chess talents, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa, finished sixth and seventh respectively at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas on Monday, July 21. The tournament was won by Levon Aronian, who held his nerve in the final to clinch the title and a prize of USD 200,000. Aronian overcame Hans Moke Niemann 1.5-0.5 in a tense final to secure victory. In the third-place playoff, world number one Magnus Carlsen bounced back from a poor start to defeat Hikaru Nakamura by the same margin. Among the Indian players, Erigaisi ended his campaign with a 0-2 loss to Fabiano Caruana, finishing sixth overall and earning USD 40,000. Praggnanandhaa, however, signed off on a high, defeating Wesley So 1.5-0.5 to clinch seventh place and USD 30,000 in prize money. Praggnanandhaa was particularly impressive in his final match. Playing black in the first game, he held firm for a draw, and then capitalised with the white pieces to register a confident win. However, the day also saw a setback for his sister, R Vaishali, who was knocked out of the FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia. With the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam wrapped up, both Arjun and Praggnanandhaa have a packed calendar ahead. They will now travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the E-Sports World Cup, starting in a few days. After that, Arjun will head home to compete in the Chennai Grandmasters tournament in early August, while Praggnanandhaa is set to return to the USA for two back-to-back Grand Chess Tour events in St. Louis. Finals Results: Levon Aronian (Usa) beat Hans Moke Niemann (Usa) 1.5-0.5; Magnus Carlsen (Nor) beat Hikaru Nakamura (Usa) 1.5-0.5; 5-6 place: Arjun Erigaisi (Ind) lost to Fabiano Caruana (Usa) 0-2; 7-8 place: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) beat Wesley So (Usa) 1.5-0.5. India's top chess talents, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa, finished sixth and seventh respectively at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas on Monday, July 21. The tournament was won by Levon Aronian, who held his nerve in the final to clinch the title and a prize of USD 200,000. Aronian overcame Hans Moke Niemann 1.5-0.5 in a tense final to secure victory. In the third-place playoff, world number one Magnus Carlsen bounced back from a poor start to defeat Hikaru Nakamura by the same margin. Among the Indian players, Erigaisi ended his campaign with a 0-2 loss to Fabiano Caruana, finishing sixth overall and earning USD 40,000. Praggnanandhaa, however, signed off on a high, defeating Wesley So 1.5-0.5 to clinch seventh place and USD 30,000 in prize money. Praggnanandhaa was particularly impressive in his final match. Playing black in the first game, he held firm for a draw, and then capitalised with the white pieces to register a confident win. However, the day also saw a setback for his sister, R Vaishali, who was knocked out of the FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia. With the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam wrapped up, both Arjun and Praggnanandhaa have a packed calendar ahead. They will now travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the E-Sports World Cup, starting in a few days. After that, Arjun will head home to compete in the Chennai Grandmasters tournament in early August, while Praggnanandhaa is set to return to the USA for two back-to-back Grand Chess Tour events in St. Louis. Finals Results: Levon Aronian (Usa) beat Hans Moke Niemann (Usa) 1.5-0.5; Magnus Carlsen (Nor) beat Hikaru Nakamura (Usa) 1.5-0.5; 5-6 place: Arjun Erigaisi (Ind) lost to Fabiano Caruana (Usa) 0-2; 7-8 place: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) beat Wesley So (Usa) 1.5-0.5. Join our WhatsApp Channel
NDTV
7 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Arjun Erigaisi Finishes Sixth, R Praggnanandhaa Seventh In Freestyle Chess Grand Slam
Indian stars Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa finished in sixth and seventh position respectively, even as Grandmaster Levon Aronian of the United States reigned supreme in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas. Aronian survived some anxious moments before defeating compatriot Hans Moke Niemann 1.5-0.5 in the finals of the tournament. World number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway also had a similar experience as he rallied after a disappointing first game to outplay Hikaru Nakamura of the United States in the third-place play-off. Arjun went down 0-2 to Fabiano Caruana of the US, while Praggnanandhaa defeated another American Wesley So 1.5-0.5 to clinch the seventh spot among last eight remaining participants in this event. Aronian took home USD 200000 for winning the tournament, while Arjun got USD 40000 for his effort. Praggnanandhaa made sure he wasn't far behind as he pocketed a total of USD 30000 after his final round win. Praggnanandhaa played solidly as black in the first game and played out a draw while in the second he was relentless as he cruised home easily on a day when his sister R Vaishali was ousted from the FIDE Women's World Cup at Batumi, Georgia. After a promising start in the event that saw him in the early stage semifinals, Arjun lost both his games against Caruana but the Indian will be happy with the fact that he was in the top four after the group stage was over. It's going to be a busy summer ahead for Arjun and Praggnanandhaa as both will now proceed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the E-Sports World Cup that starts in just a few days' time. Thereafter Arjun will be seen in action in the Chennai Grandmasters tournament starting in the first week of August while Praggnanandhaa will go back to United States for two back-to-back events of the Grand Chess tour in St. Louis.
News18
9 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
Arjun finishes sixth, Praggnanandhaa seventh in Freestyle Chess Grand Slam
Las Vegas, Jul 21 (PTI) Indian stars Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa finished in sixth and seventh position respectively, even as Grandmaster Levon Aronian of the United States reigned supreme in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam here. Aronian survived some anxious moments before defeating compatriot Hans Moke Niemann 1.5-0.5 in the finals of the tournament. World number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway also had a similar experience as he rallied after a disappointing first game to outplay Hikaru Nakamura of the United States in the third-place play-off. Arjun went down 0-2 to Fabiano Caruana of the US, while Praggnanandhaa defeated another American Wesley So 1.5-0.5 to clinch the seventh spot among last eight remaining participants in this event. Aronian took home USD 200000 for winning the tournament, while Arjun got USD 40000 for his effort. Praggnanandhaa made sure he wasn't far behind as he pocketed a total of USD 30000 after his final round win. Praggnanandhaa played solidly as black in the first game and played out a draw while in the second he was relentless as he cruised home easily on a day when his sister R Vaishali was ousted from the FIDE Women's World Cup at Batumi, Georgia. After a promising start in the event that saw him in the early stage semifinals, Arjun lost both his games against Caruana but the Indian will be happy with the fact that he was in the top four after the group stage was over. It's going to be a busy summer ahead for Arjun and Praggnanandhaa as both will now proceed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the E-Sports World Cup that starts in just a few days' time. Thereafter Arjun will be seen in action in the Chennai Grandmasters tournament starting in the first week of August while Praggnanandhaa will go back to United States for two back-to-back events of the Grand Chess tour in St. Louis. Results finals: Levon Aronian (Usa) beat Hans Moke Niemann (Usa) 1.5-0.5; Magnus Carlsen (Nor) beat Hikaru Nakamura (Usa) 1.5-0.5; 5-6 place: Arjun Erigaisi (Ind) lost to Fabiano Caruana (Usa) 0-2; 7-8 place: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) beat Wesley So (Usa) 1.5-0.5. PTI Cor AH AH view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 12:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Praggnanandhaa vs Magnus Carlsen: How India's rising chess star eclipsed World No.1 twice in a week at Las Vegas Freestyle event
It's not often that World No.1 and former five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen is beaten by the same opponent twice in four days. India's R Praggnanandhaa, the soft-spoken, bespectacled rising star, did just that in Las Vegas. On Thursday, Praggnanandhaa stunned Carlsen in the classification game for a quarterfinal spot in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour's upper bracket in Los Angeles, denying him a direct entry into the top eight for the first time in the tour. On Saturday, Praggnanandhaa found Carlsen standing in his way again, this time in the lower bracket of the LA leg. The Chennai lad was one notch above the Norwegian maestro in the 43-move game, forcing Carlsen to resign for his second win over the World No. 1. What made this victory special was that Praggnanandhaa was coming off a gruelling 10-hour loss, stretching over seven straight games against American Fabiano Caruana in the upper bracket quarterfinals. The Indian prodigy described it as one of the 'craziest matches' he had ever played. He had regained ground after beating Germany's Vincent Keymer, but playing Carlsen is a herculean challenge even for one of the best next-generation stars. The earlier loss on Thursday meant that Carlsen could no longer fight for the title, with his best possible finish now being third place in the overall standings. The rematch, for Carlsen, was a matter of pride after his title hopes had been dashed in Freestyle chess, his favourite variant. Praggnanandhaa's best possible finish is seventh place. In this format, each game begins with randomly shuffled back-rank pieces, creating 960 possible starting positions. Designed to nullify established chess theory, it forces players into uncharted territory from the very first move. Praggnanandhaa's second consecutive victory against the normally invincible Carlsen was no small feat. However, coming after Carlsen's twin losses to World Champion D Gukesh in the classical format at Norway Chess and in the rapid format at Croatia's SuperUnited tournament, defeat against Arjun Erigaisi at Paris leg of Freestyle event and a surprising draw against nine-year-old Indian Aarit Kapil in an online Blitz game, the Norwegian's aura of invincibility appears to be showing cracks. But Carlsen, being the genius he is, fought back to beat Praggnanandhaa in the next three games to stay in the hunt for a podium finish on Saturday. Yet, Praggnanandhaa has emerged, by far, as the most competent Indian to take Carlsen head-on. Whether it's Mikhail Tal's famous advice to Alexander Beliavsky to hone his intuition, or Garry Kasparov's enduring belief that it's 'intuition first, then calculation', the chess world's elite have consistently agreed on one principle: intuition trumps calculation. And, Carlsen has been vocal and direct in his assessment of the Indian prodigies, praising them as some of the best calculators in the game, though he believes their lack of intuitive play leaves them vulnerable. 'What most of them (Indian players from this generation) have in common is that their calculation is extremely good. Even those players who have zero understanding of the game, they calculate so well that, with longer time controls, they can still get by and give even people like me a really, really hard time,' Carlsen had remarked earlier. Carlsen once compared Indian players to their Chinese counterparts, noting greater stylistic diversity among the latter. 'There's a bigger variety within Chinese players. You have the World Champion Ding (Liren)… who's not doing great at the moment, but at his peak, he was an incredible, intuitive, dynamic player. So, very different styles there,' Carlsen had observed last year. Praggnanandhaa, however, has managed to quash this perception of Carlsen. Learning from Kasparov's 'trusting your guts' advice, the young Indian's game has the required element that has bothered even the best of talents. Carlsen famously applauded Praggnanandhaa after the Indian put up a tremendous fight at the Julius Baer Generation Cup in September 2022, where the Norwegian barely escaped with a draw against the then 16-year-old. By then, Praggnanandhaa had already beaten Carlsen multiple times to gain his respect. Magnus Carlsen gives 17-year-old Praggnanandhaa a quick round of applause and thumbs up after a fantastic fight ends in a draw! #ChessChamps #JuliusBaerGenerationCup — chess24 (@chess24com) September 19, 2022 The year 2023 was a breakout one for Praggnanandhaa. He stormed into the FIDE World Cup final, defeating some of the biggest names in the circuit, including Carlsen's long-time arch-rival, Hikaru Nakamura. His victory over Nakamura was so impressive that it drew Carlsen away from his own match to congratulate the teenager with a pat on the back and heartfelt praise: 'We all want to be like you today.' Incidentally, Praggnanandhaa faced Carlsen in that World Cup final. At one stage, he nearly denied the Norwegian his last major title, playing two sublime games in the Classical format and forcing the final into tiebreaks. However, Carlsen — clearly superior to Praggnanandhaa in shorter time controls — prevailed over the Indian, ending his long wait for a coveted World Cup gold. Though a heartbroken Praggnanandhaa lost to Carlsen on what was perhaps the biggest stage after the latter relinquished his World Championship title, the Indian's composure and playing style made one thing clear: Praggnanandhaa was destined to trouble Carlsen in the months and weeks to come.
Hans India
a day ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: Carlsen beats Pragg & Arjun, sets third-place showdown with Nakamura
Las Vegas: World no. 1 Magnus Carlsen avenged his previous defeat to India's Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa, clinching a 3-1 victory in a closely contested four-game match on Sunday (IST). After a chaotic first-round loss to Praggnanandhaa, the world number one ground down the Indian star to force tiebreaks and then reeled off five consecutive wins – including those over Arjun Erigaisi. The clash between Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa started with an absolutely wild game. Praggnanandhaa built up a big advantage and when Carlsen missed a simple pawn push, he felt obliged to give up his queen for just two minor pieces. That shouldn't have been enough, but when the young Indian blundered a full piece, it was quite unclear again, Freestyle chess reports. Praggnanandhaa, however, recovered well from his mishap and gradually outplayed his opponent after all in a highly complex position with a strong material imbalance. Carlsen then won his must-win game smoothly in an endgame, in fact in similar style as how Praggnanandhaa had beaten Keymer the other day. The five-time world champion then won both 5+2 games, twice outwitting his opponent tactically in time pressure. Carlsen later defeated another Indian Grandmaster Arjun 2-0 lower bracket semifinal. In a very quiet position in the first game, one small inaccuracy by Arjun was enough for Carlsen to get a chance, grab it, and use it to full effect. Arjun got a better position out of the opening in game two, but then messed it up, and Carlsen won again, his fifth consecutive win in the tournament. The penultimate day of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas ended with Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura set to meet in Sunday's third-place match – a repeat of their showdown in the Paris Grand Slam final, though this time with USD 160,000 and the last podium spot at stake rather than the title.
