Latest news with #Wynn
Express Tribune
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Magnus Carlsen stunned as R Praggnanandhaa forces resignation at Freestyle Chess Grand Slam
Magnus Carlsen was left stunned after resigning against India's R Praggnanandhaa during the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas. The 19-year-old Grandmaster outplayed Carlsen in 39 moves, leading the commentator to state, 'Magnus about to he does.' Praggnanandhaa, who has secured three tournament victories this year, now holds a joint lead in Group White with 4.5 points, having defeated Carlsen across Classical, Rapid, and Blitz formats in 2025. Earlier in the event, he drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, defeated Bibisara Assaubayeva, and won against Vincent Keymer before facing Carlsen. Carlsen, who won the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam events in Paris and Karlsruhe, was eliminated from title contention in Las Vegas following the loss. After initial wins, Carlsen experienced defeats against Praggnanandhaa and Wesley So, alongside two draws, which left him needing a final-round win to enter the playoffs. Although he defeated Assaubayeva, Carlsen lost both playoff games against Levon Aronian, dropping him into the lower bracket. The tournament at the Wynn Las Vegas featured two eight-player groups, with the top players advancing towards the USD 200,000 prize. Hikaru Nakamura led the Black Group, while Hans Niemann, Fabiano Caruana, and Arjun Erigaisi also progressed. The next stage will see quarterfinal matches, with players in the lower bracket, including Carlsen, competing for final placements.
NDTV
17 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
R Praggnanandhaa Forces Magnus Carlsen To 'Resign', Chess Great Stunned
India's Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa delivered a sensational victory over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas. The 19-year-old outplayed the five-time world champion in just 39 moves. Norwegian Grandmaster Carlsen, who recently faced consecutive defeats at the hands of India's reigning world champion D Gukesh, suffered another setback as he was beaten by 19-year-old R Praggnanandhaa in Round 4 of the group stage at an ongoing tournament featuring a 10-minute plus 10-second increment time control. Praggnanandhaa, who has already won three tournaments this year, has now defeated Carlsen in all three formats — Classical, Rapid, and Blitz. The Indian prodigy now hold a joint lead in the the eight-player Group White, with 4.5 points. "Magnus about to he does!" the commentator exclaimed after Praggnanandhaa's win. Praggnanandhaa began by playing out a draw against Abdusattorov with Black, followed by a win against Assaubayeva. In Round 3, he defeated Keymer despite holding Black pieces before stunning Carlsen. However, Carlsen, the winner of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam events in Paris and Karlsruhe and overall tour leader, has been knocked out of title contention in Las Vegas. The last 6 minutes of Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa beating Magnus Carlsen to take sole lead in his group at Freestyle Chess Las Vegas! Enjoy as Sagar, Amruta and Harshit commentate on this game - it's 4 AM in India now! — ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) July 16, 2025 After a turbulent day in the round-robin phase, Carlsen finished shared fourth in his group and was eliminated in a playoff by Levon Aronian. He now dropped into the lower bracket, where he can finish no higher than third. The tournament's first day, in the ballroom of the Wynn Las Vegas hotel, featured two eight-player round-robins – the White Group and the Black Group – with the top four from each advancing to the top bracket. The bottom four proceed to a placement bracket, fighting for final rankings and prize money, but no longer in contention for the Vegas title. Carlsen opened with two wins but then hit a wall. Losses to Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Wesley So, along with two draws, left him needing a win in the final round just to force a tiebreak. He beat Bibisara Assaubayeva but then lost both playoff games to Aronian, who clinched the final qualifying spot. In the same group, Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Javokhir Sindarov secured 4.5/7 each to top the table. Aronian followed with 4 points, edging out Carlsen. In the Black Group, Hikaru Nakamura was dominant with 6/7. Hans Niemann, who started strongly with 4.5/5, also advanced alongside Fabiano Caruana and Arjun Erigaisi. Caruana had drawn his first six games before beating Niemann in a must-win final round. With the U.S. debut of Freestyle Chess underway at the Wynn Las Vegas, 16 players now move on to the knockout stage. Half of them – including Carlsen and Keymer – will have to fight from below. The rest are one step closer to the USD 200,000 first prize. On Thursday wee will see the quarterfinals, after which the losing players in the upper bracket will be moving into the lower bracket. The winners will continue fighting for the USD 200,000 first prize.
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Las Vegas Chess Grand Slam Tour: R Praggnanandhaa stuns Magnus Carlsen, World No 1 out of title contention
India's Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa delivered a sensational victory over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas (Image via IANS) India's Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa pulled off a stunning win against world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas. The 19-year-old outplayed the Norwegian champion in just 39 moves during their Round 4 clash in the group stage. The match, played in a 10-minute plus 10-second increment time control format, saw Praggnanandhaa extend his impressive record against Carlsen. Having already beaten him in Classical, Rapid, and Blitz formats before, this latest win makes it a clean sweep across all formats for the young star. Carlsen, who had previously won the Grand Slam events in Paris and Karlsruhe and leads the overall tour standings, has now been knocked out of title contention in Las Vegas. He finished tied fourth in Group White and lost a playoff against Levon Aronian, which dropped him into the lower bracket. The best he can now finish is third. Praggnanandhaa, meanwhile, holds the joint lead in Group White with 4.5 points, alongside Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov. His run included a draw with Abdusattorov, wins over Bibisara Assaubayeva and Vincent Keymer, and the big upset over Carlsen. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Beyond Text Generation: An AI Tool That Helps You Write Better Grammarly Install Now Undo Carlsen started the day well with two wins but struggled in the latter half. Defeats to Praggnanandhaa and Wesley So, coupled with two draws, left him needing a win in the final round. Though he managed to beat Assaubayeva, he was outplayed in both playoff games by Aronian. In the Black Group, Hikaru Nakamura was dominant, scoring 6/7. Hans Niemann also advanced with Fabiano Caruana and Arjun Erigaisi. Caruana, who had drawn his first six games, pulled off a crucial win against Niemann in the final round to qualify. Poll What was your reaction to Praggnanandhaa's victory over Magnus Carlsen? Incredibly surprised Expected it, he's talented With the round-robin stage completed at the Wynn Las Vegas, the top four players from each group now move into the upper knockout bracket. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday, with losing players in the upper bracket moving into the lower bracket. The eventual champion will walk away with the USD 200,000 first prize. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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First Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Freestyle Chess Las Vegas: Players, schedule, format, live streaming and everything else you need to know
The fourth leg of the inaugural Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour gets underway in Las Vegas, USA on Wednesday with world No 1 and Freestyle Chess co-founder Magnus Carlsen eyeing a hat-trick of victories after emerging triumphant in Paris and Karlsruhe. read more Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura had squared off in the Paris Grand Slam final and also headline the Las Vegas leg that gets underway on Wednesday, 16 July. Image credit: Freestyle Chess The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour returns to action after a hiatus of nearly three months, with the fourth event of the tour set to get underway in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Norwegian chess icon Magnus Carlsen, co-founder the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, is currently on a winning streak, having emerged triumphant in the last two events in Paris and Karlsruhe. The 34-year-old will be eyeing a hat-trick of victories in the American leg of the tour that gets underway less than 24 hours from now, which should further consolidate his position at the top of the standings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here's everything you need to know about the Las Vegas Grand Slam: When will the Las Vegas Grand Slam get underway? And how long with the event go on? The Las Vegas leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour will be taking place from 16 to 20 July. Here's the full schedule for the event: 16 July: Group round-robin 17 July: Quarter-finals 18 July: Upper bracket semi-finals 19 July: Lower bracket semi-finals 20 July: Finals Where will the Las Vegas Grand Slam take place? The Las Vegas Grand Slam will be taking place at Wynn Las Vegas, a luxury resort and casino located along the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Who are the players in action at the Las Vegas Grand Slam? World No 1 Carlsen will be headlining the Las Vegas leg of the Grand Slam Tour along expected lines while the event will also feature American Grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana and Weissenhaus champion Vincent Keymer, who form the top four in the overall standings. As for the Indians in action, Classical world champion D Gukesh has opted out after his underwhelming performances in Weissenhaus and Paris, with compatriots Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi set to compete at the event. Also mssing , Ian Nepomniachtchi has also opted out of the event, due to personal reasons, and has been replaced by American GM Sam Sevian. India's Arjun Erigaisi had finished a creditable fifth in the Paris Grand Slam and will be eyeing a top-four finish in Las Vegas. Image credit: Freestyle Chess The event also features controversial American GM Hans Niemann, who has been making headlines for his feud with Carlsen more than anything else recently. Here's the full list of competitors in action in Las Vegas: 1. Magnus Carlsen. 2. Hikaru Nakamura. 3. Fabiano Caruana. 4. Levon Aronian. 5. Arjun Erigaisi. 6. Nodirbek Abdusattorov. 7. Leinier Dominguez Perez. 8. Ray Robson. 9. Wesley So. 10. Vincent Keymer. 11. Sam Sevian. 12. R Praggnanandhaa. 13. Hans Niemann. 14. Bibisara Assaubayeva. 15. Javokhir Sindarov. 16. Vidit Gujrathi. What's the format of the Las Vegas Grand Slam? The fourth leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour has a format that's slightly different from the previous events, with the 16 participants divided into two groups of eight players each. The group stage will then be played on a round-robin basis with each player facing the remaining members of his/her group once. The top four players from each group then advance to the quarter-finals, with the top players getting to choose their last-8 opponent from the opposite group. The winners then advance to the semi-finals and the final, while the losers stay back for the classification matches that will decide the final positions for each player other than the two finalists. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The time controls for the group stage has been set at 10+10 while that for the knockouts is at 30+30 – including the final and the third-fourth place playoff, with the organisers opting against retaining Classical 90+30 time controls that was in place in earlier events. What's the total prize money on offer at the Las Vegas Grand Slam? The prize fund for the Las Vegas Grand Slam stands at US$750,000 – $710,000 for the main event and $40,000 for the Play-In. The winner is set to win $200,000 while the runner-up and the player finishing third will win $140,000 and $100,000 respectively. Here's the full breakdown of the prize fund: 1st: $200,000 2nd: $140,000 3rd: $100,000 4th: $60,000 5th: $50,000 6th: $40,000 7th: $30,000 8th: $20,000 9th-12th: $10,000 13th-16th: $7,500 Where can I watch the Las Vegas Grand Slam LIVE? The Las Vegas Grand Slam will be telecast on the website as well as YouTube channels of Freestyle Chess and
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Derrick Rose is looking for purpose in retirement. Chess might provide an answer for the ex-NBA MVP.
LAS VEGAS — Derrick Rose is accustomed to standing shoulder to shoulder with greatness. But Sunday was a little different. The former NBA MVP for the Chicago Bulls sat on a stage alongside chess grandmaster and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, surveying an unplayed board. Carlsen leaned over to Rose, pointing to a few pieces as he offered a few quick words of advice. The unlikely pairing was part of Chesstival, a tournament that Rose organized to overlap with the NBA Summer League and that kicked off the Freestyle Chess tour's weeklong stay in Las Vegas. The pro-am event — which teamed grandmasters with former and current NBA players in a 'head and hand' pairs tournament — marked a capstone in Rose's yearslong effort to establish a presence in the often-exclusive infrastructure of competitive chess. Rose finds plenty of parallels between basketball and chess. The court and the board are different, but winning in either arena requires many of the same qualities. Patience. Respect for the opponent. Balance. And for Rose, truly enjoying the game requires the same mentality. 'I know this is only a game,' he told the Tribune. 'You can quit this game. I can walk away from this board. But I can't quit my life.' In the nine-plus months since Rose retired from the NBA, chess has become a driving force in his life. One of his main goals for his post-basketball career is to enhance the game's popularity as a gateway to self-improvement. He believes chess is more accessible than it's often credited for and hopes to provide more entry points for young players through charitable initiatives. This passion is also why Rose invested in Freestyle Chess and organized Chesstival, which launched the tour's first U.S. event at Wynn Las Vegas. The 16-player Las Vegas Grand Slam runs from Wednesday through Sunday. Before this past Sunday, it had been more than a decade since Rose set foot in the Wynn. In 2014, the hotel hosted Team USA for a minicamp in the lead-up to the FIBA World Cup. He didn't know it at the time, but that tournament would mark a turning point for Rose — one final, hopeful attempt at a comeback from a yearslong battle with knee injuries. Eleven years later, Rose returned with a different mindset: less desperate to prove himself but still hopeful. Things have changed since 2014. Basketball no longer dominates Rose's life. But the setting still offered a chance for reflection — and gratitude for the platform created by his partnership with Carlsen. 'I want to push things to the limit,' Rose said. 'I'm thinking macro. But these are places I can't afford yet. My ideas were libraries and airports. They're looking at the nicest hotel on the Strip.' Chess found Rose early in his NBA career. He first tried out the game as a pastime, intrigued by studies that suggested playing chess could reduce a person's chances of developing Alzheimer's disease or dementia, something that worried him even in his early 20s. After he suffered his first major knee injury in 2012, chess became an escape for Rose throughout the long months of recovery. He began carrying a board on road trips, inviting teammates to play against him. He made a account to duel higher-rated players from around the world. His friends picked up the hobby with him, playing informal tournaments during the offseasons. Although he's an avid online player, Rose doesn't keep track of his rating. 'I'm a baller,' he joked. 'Get me on the board, I might win. I got a jankiness to my game.' Rose isn't alone in his passion. Chess holds widespread popularity throughout the NBA — as evidenced by Sunday's event, which featured current and former players such as Quinten Post and Tony Snell. But this shared passion also had a strange aura around it, almost cultish, as Rose described. For instance, former Bulls teammate Drew Gooden is an avid chess player, yet he never mentioned it while he shared a locker room with Rose. So why don't NBA players talk about chess? 'I have no idea,' Rose said with a laugh. He wants to encourage more vocal support for the game, particularly to increase youth participation. That was a crucial aspect of placing Chesstival during the opening weekend of the summer league, when an increasing number of NBA fans descend upon Las Vegas to watch upcoming players and mingle with current stars. Rose believes chess can be akin to basketball in its accessibility, but he wants to use his platform to improve some of the barriers that limit the affordability of competition. While high-profile events such as Chesstival focus on the game's biggest stars, Rose is more focused on the grassroots movement — providing support and free education about the game to kids, starting in Chicago. 'We want to look out for everyone,' he said. While last weekend marked a notable victory for Rose in his post-basketball career, in the early months retirement was hard. He didn't know what to do with his mornings. Or his afternoons. Or his evenings. Structure is a constant in the NBA. Rose almost took it for granted. For years, his life followed the heartbeat of his team's schedule — morning film, bus to the arena, pregame meal, recovery. And then, on an otherwise routine day in late September, all of that went away and Rose was left to reorganize the quiet vacuum of day-to-day life. Coming home helped. Rose is now fully based in Chicago again. After eight seasons of playing in other cities, he has found joy in being embraced by the city. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the White Sox season opener and served as grand marshal of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race over Fourth of July weekend. One of his next business priorities will be a significant investment in the 1901 Project, which aims to develop the area surrounding the United Center into a multi-use entertainment district. Most of all Rose is finding peace in the same place as always — on the basketball court, now with his son PJ. PJ, 12, plays for MeanStreets, the same AAU program that helped develop his father. And Rose is right there with him — watching film, designing workouts and offering the toughest one-on-one cover in Chicago when he wants to get in some extra scrimmaging. Rose misses basketball. He always will. But slowly all of this has become enough. 'You find it,' Rose said about his new purpose after basketball. 'It takes time, but you find it.'
