Arjun Erigaisi Defeats World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 1 of Freestyle Chess Championship, D. Gukesh Struggles
The 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam began on Monday, April 7 in Paris. The first day featured six rounds of rapid chess, with world number one GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov emerging as the leaders of the points standings table.
The Chess Grand Slam in Paris is the first time where four out of the five 45th Olympiad Gold medal winning team members from India strive to compete in the same tournament against each other – a young Indian brigade of chess mavericks.
As far as the Indian contingent is concerned, out of the four participants in the Chess championship, D. Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, R. Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, only Arjun stood as an outstanding performer.
He slipped into a demolition mode right away on Day 1, as the 21-year-old defeated world No.1 and 5 Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana respectively in the first two rapid rounds.
His fine run was briefly halted by the reigning world champion and fellow Indian, D. Gukesh in Round 3. It was Gukesh’s first full point from a Freestyle chess game this year after he went winless through the first leg at Weissenhaus in February.
Of the four Indians who feature in the event, in the single round robin, Arjun had the best opening day and earned a total of 3.5 points. He was followed by GM Praggnanandhaa at 2.5 points. Arjun nearly won a thrilling ending against him but had to settle for a draw in a complicated struggle.
The game between Carlsen and Gukesh in Round 4 didn’t end well for the young wizard. Even as he navigated a seemingly frustrating position, he maintained his composure and focus until the very end.
In a queen endgame, with Gukesh stuck in his position and no room for any strategy ahead, he resigned against the five-time world champion to be stranded at 1.5 points from four rounds. It was Carlsen’s third win in the four rounds played.
Earlier in the opening round, Carlsen ground out a win from what looked like a theoretical draw for a while. With little time on his clock, Vidit fumbled under pressure and invited checkmate to lose the game instantly.
GM Carlsen overcame a round-two loss against GM Arjun Erigaisi to win the rest of his games, including a thriller in round five against GM Hikaru Nakamura.
About the Event:
The Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam is the second of the five major events on the heavily rewarding Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. It features 12 participants, comprising mostly of the top-rated players in the world.
The first two days see rapid rounds, with a time control of 10 minutes per player and a 10-second increment added for each move. After that, only the top eight players advance to play the knockout round to compete for the main prize.
Players battle it out for a $ 200,000 cash prize, with a total prize fund of $ 680,000 for the mega event.
By: Tulika Agarwal
