India’s chess stars, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa, ended the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas on July 21, finishing in sixth and seventh places, respectively. The tournament was won by Levon Aronian, who displayed remarkable skill in the final, taking home a prize of $200,000.
In a gripping final match, Aronian triumphed over Hans Moke Niemann with a score of 1.5-0.5. Meanwhile, world champion Magnus Carlsen recovered from a shaky start to defeat Hikaru Nakamura, also by 1.5-0.5, securing third place.
For the Indian players, Arjun concluded his journey with a 0-2 loss to Fabiano Caruana, finishing in sixth place and earning $40,000. On a brighter note, Praggnanandhaa wrapped up his tournament on a high, winning against Wesley So 1.5-0.5 and securing seventh place, which came with a prize of $30,000.
Praggnanandhaa’s final match was particularly noteworthy. He managed to draw the first game while playing black and then seized the opportunity with the white pieces to secure a confident victory. However, the day was bittersweet for his sister, R Vaishali, who unfortunately was eliminated from the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia.
Looking ahead, both Arjun and Praggnanandhaa have a busy schedule. They will soon head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the E-Sports World Cup, set to begin in a few days. Following that, Arjun will return home to participate in the Chennai Grandmasters tournament in early August, while Praggnanandhaa is scheduled to fly back to the USA for a couple of Grand Chess Tour events in St. Louis.
Final Results:
- Levon Aronian (USA) defeated Hans Moke Niemann (USA) 1.5-0.5
- Magnus Carlsen (Nor) defeated Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 1.5-0.5
- Arjun Erigaisi (Ind) lost to Fabiano Caruana (USA) 0-2
- R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) defeated Wesley So (USA) 1.5-0.5
