Freestyle Chess: Magnus Carlsen defeats Praggnanandhaa, Arjun in Las Vegas lower bracket

Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi faced his second consecutive defeat at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, losing in the lower bracket semi-final in Las Vegas, the USA, on Saturday.

Arjun Erigaisi battled world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway for a spot in the third-place playoff but suffered a 0-2 loss, missing out on a top-four finish at this final leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025.

Magnus opened the match dominantly with white pieces, achieving a mate-in-one position that forced Arjun to resign in first game. He then followed it with a strong performance using black pieces in second game.

Magnus Carlsen, previously defeated by Praggnanandhaa in the group stage, missed out on a third consecutive Freestyle Chess Grand Slam title but has now battled back to secure at least a top-four finish.

He also avenged his earlier defeat to Praggnanandhaa in the lower bracket quarter-final, clinching a 3-1 victory in a closely contested four-game match, despite dropping the opening game.

Praggnanandhaa once again started the match strongly, achieving a mate-in-two position in the opening game, but then conceded three back-to-back defeats against Magnus, ending his quest for a podium finish.

With this, Praggnandhaa will now be competing in the seventh-place playoff against Wesley So of the USA on Sunday, whereas Arjun will be fighting for the fifth place against Fabiano Caruana of the USA.

These placement matches hold importance for some players as they offer crucial Grand Slam points, which will decide the winner of the inaugural Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in December 2025.

Final Day Matchups: Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam

Title Clash: Hans Niemann (USA) Vs Levon Aronian (USA)

3rd Place Match: Hikaru Nakamura (USA) Vs Magnus Carlsen (NOR)

5th Place Match: Fabiano Caruana (USA) Vs Arjun Erigaisi (IND)

7th Place Match: Wesley SO (USA) Vs R Praggnanandhaa (IND)