India’s chess sensation, R Praggnanandhaa, delivered a remarkable blow to World No.1 Magnus Carlsen at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas. In a high-voltage Round 4 group stage match, the 19-year-old Grandmaster stunned the five-time world champion with a win in just 39 moves.
This isn’t the first time Carlsen has faced setbacks from Indian prodigies. He recently endured back-to-back defeats against India’s world champion D Gukesh, and now Praggnanandhaa has joined the elite list of challengers who have managed to defeat the chess titan. With this win, Praggnanandhaa becomes one of the few players to have beaten Carlsen in all three formats — Classical, Rapid, and Blitz.
As the match concluded, the commentator exclaimed, “Magnus about to resign… and he does!”, capturing the shock felt across the chess world.
Tournament Highlights
Praggnanandhaa’s Las Vegas campaign began with a draw against Abdusattorov, followed by a victory over Assaubayeva, and a win against Keymer while holding Black. His fourth-round win against Carlsen solidified his dominance and placed him joint-top of Group White with 4.5 points alongside Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov.
Carlsen, on the other hand, started strong with two early wins but faltered against Praggnanandhaa and Wesley So. Draws in other rounds left him in a precarious spot, needing a final-round win to enter the playoffs. Although he beat Assaubayeva, Carlsen lost both playoff games to Levon Aronian, finishing shared fourth and dropping into the lower bracket – his bid for the Las Vegas title crushed.
Group Standings and Advancements
The tournament format featured two eight-player round-robin groups – White and Black – with the top four from each moving into the upper bracket. The bottom four are relegated to the placement bracket, where they compete only for final rankings and prize money.
In the Black Group, Hikaru Nakamura reigned supreme with 6/7, while Hans Niemann, Fabiano Caruana, and Arjun Erigaisi also advanced. Niemann had a blazing start, while Caruana made a dramatic leap with a win over Niemann in the final round after drawing six consecutive games.
Knockout Stage and Prize Battle
With the knockout stage underway, 16 players now vie for supremacy. Notably, Carlsen and Keymer must battle from the lower bracket, while others edge closer to the $200,000 first prize.
Upcoming Quarterfinals
The quarterfinals are slated for Thursday, after which upper-bracket losers will descend to the lower bracket. The winners will continue their journey toward the championship glory and the massive cash reward.
