Daijiworld Media Network - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Jul 19: Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi’s remarkable campaign at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam came to a halt in the semifinals after a 0-2 loss to Levon Aronian. Despite his sensational victories over world champions Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura in earlier rounds, Arjun fell short against the Armenian-turned-American veteran.
In the first game, Arjun missed a promising opportunity and allowed Aronian to survive a tough position. The second game saw Aronian play for a solid draw but eventually capitalised on Arjun's over-aggression, ending the Indian prodigy’s run in the prestigious tournament.
Hans Niemann defeated Fabiano Caruana to reach the final, showcasing tactical brilliance after a series of draws.
Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa bounced back in the 3rd–8th place playoff by defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer 1.5-0.5, while World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen edged past Javokhir Sindarov with the same scoreline.
In other results, Wesley So beat Nodirbek Abdusattorov 3-1, and Hikaru Nakamura dominated Leinier Dominguez Perez 2-0 in an all-American clash.