US EditionFreestyle Chess Grand Slam, Las Vegas 2025: Magnus Carlsen Beats Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi to Book Third-Place Playoff vs Nakamura
CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA, JUL 20 – Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen twice at the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess tournament but lost the semifinal tiebreak, finishing third overall, Chess.com reported.
- On July 19, 2025, in Las Vegas, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured a victory over Magnus Carlsen, the world’s top-ranked player, in the opening game of their freestyle chess encounter.
- Praggnanandhaa’s victory came amid a series of recent wins over Carlsen and reflected Carlsen’s growing struggles against young Indian grandmasters.
- In the 43-move game, Carlsen sacrificed his queen for a bishop and knight on move 18 but was lower on clock time and ultimately forced to resign as Praggnanandhaa played white.
- Carlsen rebounded by winning game two to force a tiebreak and then won both blitz tiebreak games 2-0, advancing to the final and booking a third-place playoff spot against Hikaru Nakamura.
- Carlsen’s performance showed resilience despite mental pressures and previous early tournament losses, while Praggnanandhaa confirmed his rising status in international chess.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Quick Analysis: How Praggnanandhaa beat Magnus Carlsen for 2nd time in three days in Las Vegas Freestyle Chess event
In the reverse game, Carlsen won, thus pushing the matter into tiebreaks. The Norwegian then won the two tiebreak games against Pragg, in essence winning the tie against the Indian with three wins in a row after losing the first game.
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.
R Praggnanandhaa beats Magnus Carlsen for second time in three days, but world No. 1 mounts sensational comeback
R Praggnanandhaa proved that his first win over Magnus Carlsen at the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess event was no fluke, defeating the world No. 1 once again in a classification match. However, Carlsen bounced back to thrash the Indian Grandmaster and advance further in the tournament.
R Praggnanandhaa Beats Magnus Carlsen In Freestyle Chess, Yet Loses Semifinal. Here's What Happened
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated world number one Magnus Carlsen in the first game of their freestyle chess match at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 71% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
