R Praggnanandhaa Stuns Magnus Carlsen In Las Vegas, Moves To Joint Lead At Freestyle Chess Grand Slam | Chess News
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa pulled off a stunning upset by defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas. The 19-year-old prodigy overcame the five-time world champion in just 39 moves during their Round 4 clash, taking joint lead in the group standings.
The tournament, held at the Wynn Las Vegas, features a unique format with 10-minute games and a 10-second increment, played under “Freestyle Chess” rules, a creative, offbeat variation of the game. Carlsen, who had already faced two losses to India’s current World Champion D Gukesh recently, suffered yet another blow as Praggnanandhaa showcased composure and tactical brilliance to outplay him.
Victory in All Formats
With this result, Praggnanandhaa has now beaten Carlsen in all three major formats, Classical, Rapid, and Blitz, making him one of the few players in modern chess to achieve that feat at such a young age.
Carlsen Knocked Out of Title Race
Carlsen, who had won the previous Freestyle Chess events in Paris and Karlsruhe, saw his title hopes vanish after a turbulent group stage. Despite starting strong with two early wins, back-to-back losses to Praggnanandhaa and Wesley So, coupled with a couple of draws, meant the Norwegian had to win his final round just to force a playoff. Though he managed a victory over Assaubayeva to stay alive, he was knocked out by Levon Aronian in the playoff, thus missing out on a top bracket berth. Carlsen now drops into the lower bracket, where the highest he can finish is third overall.
Group Standings and Knockout Format
From the White Group, Praggnanandhaa, Abdusattorov, and Javokhir Sindarov all secured 4.5 points out of 7 to share the lead. Aronian claimed the final qualification spot with 4 points, narrowly edging out Carlsen, who placed fifth.
In the Black Group, American GM Hikaru Nakamura dominated with 6/7 points. Hans Niemann, despite a strong start, settled for second place. He qualified alongside Fabiano Caruana, who finally broke his streak of six straight draws by defeating Niemann in a must-win final game, and India’s Arjun Erigaisi, who also advanced.
