Daijiworld Media Network- Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Jul 17: In a major upset on the global chess stage, India’s teenage Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa outplayed world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a thrilling encounter at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour being held in Las Vegas. The 19-year-old prodigy defeated the Norwegian legend in just 39 moves during the fourth round of the group stage, continuing his remarkable run against top-ranked opponents.
This latest win comes on the heels of another Indian sensation, D Gukesh, defeating Carlsen in the classical format, further highlighting the rising dominance of Indian chess talent on the international circuit.
Praggnanandhaa's win in this rapid-format (10+10) match means he has now beaten Carlsen in all three formats — Classical, Rapid, and Blitz — a rare feat accomplished by only a handful of players worldwide. He now jointly leads Group White with 4.5 points, alongside Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov.
The young Chennai-based Grandmaster had earlier drawn with Abdusattorov, then defeated Bibisara Assaubayeva and Vincent Keymer, before stunning Carlsen in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Carlsen, the tour leader and winner of the Paris and Karlsruhe legs, struggled in Las Vegas — finishing joint fourth in his group and failing to advance to the top bracket after a playoff loss to Levon Aronian.
Carlsen, who began strong with two wins, was derailed by losses to Praggnanandhaa and Wesley So, coupled with two draws. Despite a final-round win over Assaubayeva, the five-time world champion couldn’t secure the final qualifying spot, falling to Aronian in the tiebreaks.
With this result, Carlsen has been knocked out of title contention in the Vegas leg and will now compete in the lower bracket, where the best he can achieve is a third-place finish.
In Group Black, American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura dominated with an impressive 6/7, with Hans Niemann, Fabiano Caruana, and Arjun Erigaisi also advancing to the knockout stage. Caruana made a dramatic entry, drawing six games before defeating Niemann in a must-win encounter.
The tournament, being held at the luxurious Wynn Las Vegas hotel, features a unique blend of traditional chess and the innovative freestyle format. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday, with 16 players — half in the upper bracket and half in the lower — battling for a share of the USD 200,000 prize purse.
As the knockout rounds unfold, Indian fans will be hoping Praggnanandhaa can continue his golden run and bring home yet another major title, solidifying India’s standing as a new chess powerhouse.