Latest news with #Aronian
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Not going to win every tournament,' ‘I was pretty hard on myself': Carlsen takes pride in fighting back at Las Vegas Freestyle event
After a slow start and multiple setbacks, World No.1 and five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen mounted a big comeback to finish third at the Las Vegas leg of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam event on Monday. After losing to Indian GM R Praggnanandhaa and American-Armenian Levon Aronian in the classification round for a spot in the quarterfinals, Carlsen's chances to fight for the title vanished. However, the Norwegian dominated the lower bracket, winning all knockout rounds before beating Hikaru Nakamura in the third-place match. 'I had one really bad day, and that cost me in the end. But winning five matches in a row, even if the stakes aren't that high, feels really good,' saidCarlsen after taking home $100,000. 'It was a bit up and down but overall I'm fairly happy with my level in those few games. I felt like I finished off with a really nice win as Black. It builds confidence for my next event. Things obviously weren't looking that rosy on Wednesday, and I was pretty hard on myself then as well. But now winning the last few matches is always nice. I'm not going to win every tournament but I'm very happy with the way I fought back. So, I will definitely take some positives from this tournament,' he added. Aronian beat compatriot Hans Niemann in the final to win the event. Carlsen said he was happy for Aronian and the Armenian was the deserved winner. 'It was incredibly impressive, very well deserved as well. He faced a lot of adversity for sure, especially the second game against Hikaru, it took a lot of mental resilience to be able to continue to press after he had several little chances to win, but he didn't take them. The way he fought in difficult positions against Arjun as well. Like, he was completely busted but came back,' said Carlsen on Aronian. 'I'm very, very happy for Levon. Um, he is… I think he has probably been the biggest fan of freestyle among the top players for many years. There is always some consolation in having lost to the tournament winner. And clearly, you know, the deserved one,' he added.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Levon Aronian makes Rs 1.7 crore for Freestyle Chess title, but what did Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa win at Las Vegas?
The Las Vegas leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour ended with the veteran Levon Aronian claiming the title with Hans Niemann and Magnus Carlsen taking second and third spots in the standings respectively. The win for Aronian was accompanied by a mega prize check of $200,000 (approximately Rs 1.7 crore). Aronian captured his first Freestyle Chess Grand Slam crown at Wynn Las Vegas after defeating Hans Niemann 1.5-0.5 in the Grand Final. Meanwhile, Niemann, who lost to Aronian in the final, will go home $1,40,000 richer (approx Rs 1.2 crore) and Carlsen pockets $1,00,000 (approx Rs 1.2 crore) for ending third in the tournament. So how much did the Indians make from the event? Arjun Erigaisi, who was India's best finisher at the Las Vegas event with a 6th place finish, pocketed over Rs 34 lakhs ($40,000) while Praggnanandhaa, who finished one spot behind Arjun, claimed Rs 25 lakhs ($30,000). For context, Gukesh had pocketed Rs 11.4 crore for becoming the youngest World Champion in history. Arjun had been the only semi-finalist from India with three other Americans for company. There, he had lost to had lost to eventual winner Aronian. Then, he lost 2-0 to Magnus Carlsen as the Norwegian charted his path to third place. Then, Arjun was defeated by Fabiano Caruana. Praggnanandhaa finished in seventh place after a victory over Wesley So. 'Seventh doesn't sound well but I feel I played much better than [where] I finished at the end. At these crucial moments I didn't show show my best I guess. I should have won yesterday. I think I should learn to make some draws because I was not making them when I needed to,' Pragg was quoted as saying by Freestyle Chess in a release. Vidit Gujrathi, who ended joint 13th with four others, will take home $7500 (approximately Rs 6.4 lakhs).
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First Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Niemann's impressive runs ends in Freestyle Chess Las Vegas final as Aronian wins; Carlsen beats Nakamura for 3rd spot
Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa were best-performing Indian players at the Las Vegas leg of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour as Levon Aronian clinched the trophy and the $200,000 prize money by beating Hans Niemann in the final on Sunday. read more 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 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.
News18
2 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Levon Aronian Clinches Las Vegas Freestyle Chess 2025 Title
Last Updated: The 42-year-old Armenian, Aronian, got the better of Hans Nieman in the summit clash to claim the USD 200,000 prize money at the end of an exhilarating tournament. GM Levon Aronian got his hands on the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess 2025 trophy with his win over Hans Nieman in the final of the event on American soil. The 42-year-old Armenian got the better of Nieman in the summit clash to claim the USD 200,000 prize money at the end of an exhilarating tournament. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘After all that trash talk, losing would've been exponentially more embarrassing': Niemann relieved after reaching finals at Las Vegas Freestyle event
Hans Niemann's surprising run at the Las Vegas leg of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour has taken him to the finals of the event after he beat fellow American Fabiano Caruana in a tense semifinal clash on Saturday morning. Niemann cited this achievement as one of the highlights of the career. 'On paper it's probably the highlight so far. I could not have inscripted any better, to come in for the qualifier and then I was really on the ropes in this first game,' said Niemann to official broadcasters after the win. 'I guess everything was just meant to be because in the second game I played brilliantly and I was in control and time pressure. I got my type of position and I was able to outplay him. But yeah, speechless.' On facing Levon Aronian in the title clash, who is in supreme touch and beat Arjun Erigaisi in the semifinal, Niemann said, 'He's a great player. He's had a great run. So I'm just happy with the rest day. Because the difference between semifinals is huge. Now, if I had lost, you have to play two more matches to get third. And you play both days.' Hans was quite happy to see Aronian beat Magnus Carlsen in the earlier rounds and went on to say a lot of stuff about the match. On being asked about this, he said, 'It was quite fun watching Levon win. But after that day, I understood that after talking so much trash, if I lost, it would be exponentially more embarrassing. So I understood that it was time to calm down and focus and let the chess speak for itself.' While commentating with Tania Sachdev and David Howell on the official stream for the Freestyle Tour during the Aronian vs Carlsen match, Niemann got so animated at one point that the official broadcasters opted to focus their camera on him like he was some sort of human evaluation bar. 'There are very few pleasures in life that compare to this feeling,' Niemann had said after Aronian won the first game against Carlsen. After Aronian defeated Carlsen, the Armenia-born American with a penchant for flamboyant shirts walked around in the playing hall like he was out for an evening walk. In the commentary booth, Niemann was celebrating. 'You know what they say, karma is a …. I don't want to finish the sentence. Levon, I'm taking you to dinner tonight.' Niemann was also relieved after beating Caruana, which gave him a much-needed rest day. 'Now I can have a nice day sleeping…. Sleep, sleep, rest. To make it through yesterday, I had so much coffee that it kind of caught up to me when I was trying to get to bed. And I couldn't sleep until 2:30. I woke up. I was waking up in the middle of the night. So hopefully, I have plenty of rest for the final,' said the American.
