&w=3840&q=100)
Niemann's impressive runs ends in Freestyle Chess Las Vegas final as Aronian wins; Carlsen beats Nakamura for 3rd spot
Levon Aronian did not need tiebreaks as he defeated Hans Niemann 1.5-0.5 in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Las Vegas final. Image: Freestyle Chess
Controversial Grandmaster Hans Niemann's dream run at the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam came to an end in the final as former World Rapid and Blitz champion Levon Aronian captured the trophy with a comprehensive win on Sunday. Aronian claimed the $200,000 prize money after beating Niemann 1.5-0.5 in the final.
Meanwhile, world No.1 Magnus Carlsen finished third by beating Hikaru Nakamura after being eliminated from the title race and clinched the $100,000 prize money.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Aronian downs spirited Niemann
Nonetheless, the biggest story from the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas has been the stupendous form of Niemann in a tournament that is co-owned by Carlsen. Niemann had been accused of cheating by Carlsen, but those allegations could not stop him from obliterating all the challenges that came his way, as the 22-year-old reached the final, where he met the other in-form player, Aronian, the one who eliminated Carlsen to the lower bracket.
Niemann played the first game of the final with white pieces and created a stonewall pawn structure in the centre that was also mimicked by Aronian. However, the American GM pulled off an intermezzo, resulting in a position where he was up by a pawn in an opposite-coloured bishop endgame. He eventually failed to pounce on Aronian's errors as the match ended in a draw.
The second game witnessed a Queen's Gambit opening as Aronian soon took control of the game and with the move 17.Nb4!, created a nice path to the victory. The match eventually lasted for 37 minutes before Niemann threw in the towel and took home a prize money of $140,000. He has also confirmed a spot in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tournament in South Africa.
How Carlsen defeated Nakamura
The first Carlsen vs Nakamura game ended in a draw with the former having the white pieces. In the second game, Carlsen seized an early queenside edge and steadily increased pressure on Nakamura's castled king. His light-squared bishop proved decisive, and once it anchored itself on the e4-square, the match was locked.
In the match for the fifth-place finish, Fabiano Caruana defeated India's Arjun Erigaisi 2-0, while R Praggnanandhaa defeated Wesley So 1.5-0.5 to finish seventh. The top six are guaranteed a spot in the South Africa leg.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
36 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Xavi Hernandez and Pep Guardiola's applications were not genuine: AIFF
A day after its top official claimed that World Cup-winning Spanish great Xavi Hernandez was among the applicants for India football coach's position, the All India Football Federation said that the e-mail received in his name was found to be "not genuine" and three others have been short-listed for the job. The AIFF did not reveal the names in the pruned list but it is widely believed that Khalid Jamil, currently the head coach of Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC, is the front-runner for the post left vacant by Spaniard Manolo Marquez. "The AIFF received an e-mail furnishing the applications from Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez. The authenticity of their applications could not be confirmed, and it has since emerged that the e-mail applications were not genuine," AIFF stated in a media release. One of its officials, on conditions of anonymity, had stated on Friday that the application of Xavi could not be processed as the AIFF did not have resources to hire his services. The IM Vijayan-headed Technical Committee, it is learnt, has also kept Englishman Stephen Constantine, who has previously coached India, and Slovakia's Stefan Tarkovic in the short-list. Constantine has coached the Indian team in two phases earlier, while Tarkovic is the most decorated among the shortlisted candidates having managed Slovakia during the 2020 Euro Championship, where his team beat a fancied Poland which had Bayern Munich legend Robert Lewandowski in its ranks. "Following comprehensive discussions and a rigorous selection process, 10 candidates were selected for the committee to review, following which, the TC shortlisted three," the release also stated. "Given the immediate needs of the national team, it is advisable to recommend three coaches from the short-listed pool for final consideration," former India skipper Vijayan was quoted as saying in the release. "Other prominent applicants, many of whom are highly qualified international coaches, will be taken into account for long-term strategic roles in the future," he added. National Team Director Subrata Paul, also a former India skipper, spoke about preference being given to those with some understanding of Indian football. "It is a very important moment for Indian football, and we are committed to appointing a coach who not only brings technical expertise but also understands the unique style, culture, and dynamics of Indian and Asian football. "We believe such a coach will be able to connect with our players quickly and effectively," Paul stated.
NDTV
37 minutes ago
- NDTV
Shikhar Dhawan Hails India Champions Despite Defeat In Thriller Against Australia Champions
Shikhar Dhawan played an exciting knock of 91 not out in a thrilling contest against Australia Champions in the World Championship of Legends and praised his team's effort despite losing the match in the last over. Speaking after the match, Dhawan expressed pride in the team's fighting spirit. He said, 'We gave it everything out there. These are the kind of matches that define the love we have for the game. It was a great fight till the very end. I'm proud of the boys for showing character and heart. Thank you to all the fans who stood by us — your energy means the world.' Team owner Sumant praised the team's performance and highlighted the broader vision behind India Champions: 'Today's game was not just about the scoreboard, but about representing the legacy of Indian cricket with passion and pride. This team brought the fight, the fire, and the spirit of champions. We may not have crossed the line tonight, but we're building something bigger — a platform for legends to inspire once again. The journey continues.' The India Champions thank their supporters worldwide for their unwavering backing and remain committed to finishing the tournament on a strong note. World Championship of Legends 2025 features many stars, including Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Sir Alastair Cook, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Chris Gayle, DJ Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and more.
NDTV
37 minutes ago
- NDTV
FIDE Women's World Cup Final: Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh Draw In Game 1 Of All-India Clash
Young Indian International Master Divya Deshmukh held her nerves to hold stalwart Koneru Humpy to a draw in game 1 of the FIDE Women's World Cup final, with both players having their share of opportunities to take the lead here on Saturday. The draw with black means Humpy, the two-time World Rapid champion, holds a slight edge going in the second and final game under the classical chess rules in the two-game mini-match, and should the deadlock continue, games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner. Humpy employed the Queen's gambit accepted as black and it turned out to be a pretty fascinating game right out of the opening as Divya, 19, came up with a piece sacrifice early to deny the black king the right to castle. Humpy was the first to err and, according to computers, Divya had things under control on the 14th move. However in her bid to recover the extra material, the Nagpur girl, who has secured a place in the Candidates tournament with her sterling performance here, missed a promising continuation. What followed the exchange of all minor pieces and the ensuing queen and rook endgame gave enough counter play to both players. The game was eventually drawn after Humpy sacrificed her rook to force perpetual checks. "The game saw an extremely sharp battle with the game ending in a draw in 41 moves. On move 7, Divya made her aggressive intentions clear by offering another pawn, which looked like home preparation. Humpy made a practical decision of refraining from taking the pawn and a balanced position was reached by move 10 by white," said Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, an Arjuna awardee and the first Indian to get a chess Grandmaster norm. "However, instead of developing the undeveloped Knight, Humpy retreated the centralised Knight on move 10, giving huge positional advantage to Divya. Divya could have gained huge positional advantage on the 12th move by moving a rook. However, she chose to play for King side attack by sacrificing a piece instead. "Humpy, too, erred at this stage and instead of moving the King to Queen side, moved it to the King side. Divya, on move 14, could have obtained a crushing attack by threatening a mate by developing her Queen. Instead she chose to exchange a pair of Bishops first, which enabled Humpy to defend her King by returning the piece," said Thipsay. "Players thus reached a balanced Queen and two Rooks ending. Divya continued to play ambitiously and tried to attack Humpy's King but the latter defended accurately and the game was drawn in 41 moves by perpetual check," he added. In the play-off for the third place, Chinese players Zhongyi Tan, the former women's world champion and top seed Lei Tingjie also decided to split points out of a Queen's gambit declined game. The opening raised visions of a close contest between the two but having been knocked out of title race in the previous round, none of them wanted to take any huge risk. It was still a middle game when the players shook hands. With the top two positions sealed for the Indians, the berth to the next Candidates is also assigned, while the player finishing third will also get an entry to the premier event scheduled for 2026. Results: Divya Deshmukh (Ind) drew with Koneru Humpy (Ind); Zhongyi Tan (Chn) drew with Tingjie Lei (Chn).
