Freestyle Chess: Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi reach quarterfinals, Carlsen misses title shot
Magnus Carlsen was knocked out of title contention after a loss to Praggnanandhaa and a tie-break defeat to Aronian.
GM R Praggnanandhaa claimed his first Grand Chess Tour title by winning the Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2025. (Photo credit: R Praggnanandhaa/Twitter)
India’s teenage chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa added another feather to his cap, defeating world number one Magnus Carlsen at the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas and securing a spot in the top-bracket quarterfinals. Fellow Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi also advanced to the last eight, marking a significant day for Indian chess on the global stage.
The $750,000 event, featuring a unique freestyle format, saw 16 players divided into two groups of eight. The top four from each pool progressed to the top-bracket quarterfinals, keeping their championship hopes alive. Those outside the top bracket are now out of title contention.
Praggnanandhaa topples Carlsen
The 19-year-old Praggnanandhaa produced a dominant performance against Carlsen, disrupting the Norwegian's rhythm with sharp tactics and creative play. Despite Carlsen having brief moments of counterplay, the Indian GM found a way through and clinched a crucial win.
The loss against Praggnanandhaa set off a downward spiral for Carlsen, who then lost to Wesley So and was ultimately knocked out of the top-bracket race by Levon Aronian in a decisive tie-breaker.
Praggnanandhaa finished with 4.5 points in Group White, sharing the top spot with Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov. Levon Aronian took the final qualifying spot with four points, pushing Carlsen to fifth place and relegating him to the lower bracket.
Erigaisi stages comeback
In Group Black, Arjun Erigaisi bounced back from a shaky start to finish with four points, securing a joint third place alongside American GM Fabiano Caruana. Hikaru Nakamura topped the group with 6/7, while Hans Niemann followed with 4.5.
India’s Vidit Gujrathi, also part of Group Black, ended with 1.5 points and missed out on qualification.
Quarterfinal Matchups:
R Praggnanandhaa (IND) vs Fabiano Caruana (USA)
Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) vs Arjun Erigaisi (IND)
Levon Aronian (USA) vs Hikaru Nakamura (USA)
Hans Niemann (USA) vs Javokhir Sindarov (UZB)
Lower Bracket Pairings:
Magnus Carlsen (NOR) vs Vidit Gujrathi (IND)
Ray Robson (USA) vs Vincent Keymer (GER)
Leinier Dominguez Perez (USA) vs Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ)
Samuel Sevian (USA) vs Wesley So (USA)
The freestyle format has brought a fresh dynamic to top-level chess, and with two Indians in the title bracket, the upcoming rounds promise more thrilling contests.
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