Magnus Carlsen Crashes Out of the Winners Bracket @ Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam

Las Vegas, July 16, 2025 – The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour’s fourth leg kicked off with a shock at the Wynn Las Vegas, as world No. 1 and tournament favourite Magnus Carlsen was knocked out of title contention after failing to make it to the top four in his group.

The first day of the U.S. debut of Freestyle Chess saw high-stakes Chess960 drama, where Hans Niemann, along with the Uzbek duo–Nodirbek and Sindarov, shined against the big guns. Praggnanandhaa took charge from the Indian contingent, finishing joint #1 in his group, having defeated Carlsen on his way. The only female participant, Bibisara Assaubayeva, had an outing to forget, as she went back with 6 losses and a draw.

The 16 players were divided into two groups; the top 4 from each were to qualify for the QF following the 10+10 rapid group stage. In group ‘White’, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Sindarov and Praggnanandhaa were the joint table toppers, followed by a tie between Levon Aronian and Magnus Carlsen. Aronian brought his A-game as he took down Carlsen 2-0 in the tiebreak match. In the other group, Nakamura dominated the field with a massive and undefeated 6/7, followed by Niemann, who earned his qualification by finishing #2. Another Indian, Arjun Erigaisi, who managed to recover from a miniature loss to Niemann in the first round, joined the title race. Caruana’s qualification was particularly dramatic, as he drew his first six games before a must-win victory over Niemann in the final round.

The top four from each group now advance to the quarterfinals, where two-game matches with a 30+30 time control will determine who continues the fight for the title. Carlsen’s early exit, alongside Weissenhaus champion Vincent Keymer’s failure to qualify, opens the door for new contenders in this $750,000 event. All eyes will be on Praggnanandhaa, Nakamura, and others vying for the coveted Freestyle Chess crown.

Photo courtesy: Lennart Ootes / Freestyle Chess