Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour: Magnus Carlsen wins Paris title after final leg draw with Hikaru Nakamura

Magnus Carlsen held his ground to secure a draw against Hikaru Nakamura in the second leg of the final, ultimately clinching the championship of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris and the $200,000 first prize.

With Nakamura playing White and Carlsen Black, the game began with an unconventional structure focused on pawn moves. Nakamura gained an early material advantage by capturing Carlsen’s bishop on h8, but Carlsen quickly recaptured. 

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The Norwegian countered with his knight and rook, successfully blunting Nakamura’s aggressive pushes in the midgame, which saw both players exchanging material. After 41 moves of balanced play, a draw was agreed upon, crowning Carlsen as champion.

In other matches, R Praggnanandhaa secured ninth place after defeating Richard Rapport, while Vidit Gujrathi and D. Gukesh both tied for 11th. In the fight for 5th place, Arjun Erigaisi is just one win away from Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.