Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, Las Vegas 2025: Magnus Carlsen beats Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi to book third-place playoff vs Nakamura
Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen produced a stunning comeback, winning five games on the trot, to book a spot in the third-place playoff, against USA’s Hikaru Nakamura, in the Freestyle Chess Las Vegas Grand Slam on Sunday.
Carlsen suffered a chaotic first-round loss to India’s R. Praggnanandhaa in the Intermediate Round, before forcing a tiebreak with a win in the second round.
The Norwegian GM then won both the 5+2 games, as he outwitted Praggnanandhaa tactically in time pressure.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW – Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, Las Vegas 2025
Carlsen continued his rollicking run, as he trumped Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi in the lower-bracket semifinal, winning both games with ease.
Meanwhile, Nakamura worked his way past two of his compatriots – Wesley So in the Intermediate Round and Fabiano Caruana in the lower-bracket semifinal – to give himself a chance for a spot on the podium in Las Vegas.
Sunday, the final day of the competition will feature the following matches:
- Final – Hans Niemann vs. Levon Aronian
- Third-place playoff – Magnus Carlsen vs. Hikaru Nakamura
- Fifth-place playoff – Fabiano Caruana vs. Arjun Erigaisi
- Seventh-place playoff – R. Praggnanandhaa vs. Wesley So