Freestyle Chess: Magnus Carlsen enters semi-final in Paris; Arjun Erigaisi fails in Hikaru Nakamura challenge

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Apr 10, 2025, 22:58 IST

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In the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris, Arjun Erigaisi was defeated by Hikaru Nakamura, who advanced to the semifinals. Magnus Carlsen secured his spot with a draw, while Fabiano Caruana also progressed. Other matches saw draws, leading to tie-breaks, and the battles for lower rankings resulted in draws as well.

Freestyle Chess: Magnus Carlsen enters semi-final in Paris; Arjun Erigaisi fails in Hikaru Nakamura challenge

Arjun Erigaisi (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: In the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tournament, Arjun Erigaisi faced a formidable challenge against Hikaru Nakamura, ultimately falling to the American's seasoned play.
Nakamura advanced to the semifinals with a convincing victory, capitalising on Erigaisi's missed opportunity in the middle game.
The match concluded after 62 moves, with Erigaisi resigning due to a material disadvantage.
World No.1 Magnus Carlsen secured his spot in the semifinals with a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, maintaining parity through a well-executed exchange sacrifice.

Poll

Was Arjun Erigaisi's resignation against Nakamura justified?

No, he could have continued.Yes, he was at a material disadvantage.

Carlsen's adaptability shone in the Freestyle format, where pieces are randomly arranged at the start.
Fabiano Caruana also progressed to the last-four, overcoming Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's defenses.
In other quarterfinals, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Vincent Keymer drew, leading to a tie-break.

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In the battle for 9th to 12th places, D Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi drew against Richard Rapport and R Praggnanandhaa, respectively.
Praggnanandhaa will face Rapport for the ninth spot, while Gukesh and Gujrathi vie for the remaining positions.
Praggnanandhaa comfortably drew with Gujrathi, navigating early threats and forcing a perpetual check.
Gukesh, despite a promising position with two bishops against two knights, failed to push the game into a tiebreaker, settling for a draw as the game slipped from his control.

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TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

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