Praggnanandhaa vs. Caruana: A 10-Hour Marathon at Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam

The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam quarterfinals in Las Vegas on July 17, 2025, showcased an intense and gripping 10-hour showdown between India’s R. Praggnanandhaa and American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana at the Wynn Las Vegas. The match, a rollercoaster of skill and stamina, eventually concluded with a dramatic Armageddon game, where the American prevailed. Praggnanandhaa, riding high after defeating Magnus Carlsen, opened with a decisive win in the first slow rapid (30 min) game as white. Caruana hit back with a clinical game two to equalize, finishing with a rook blunder by Pragg. The two kept exchanging blows in the tiebreak phase of rapid and blitz, coming to a tense 3-3 deadlock after six games, pushing the match to Armageddon. In the Armageddon format, players bid time for black pieces, where a draw suffices for victory, while white must win. Caruana secured black with a 4:02 bid against Praggnanandhaa’s 4:27. The 72-move game saw Caruana’s resilience shine under time pressure, clinching the win and a semifinal spot alongside Hans Niemann, Levon Aronian, and Arjun Erigaisi, who advanced after defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov 1.5-0.5.

Magnus Carlsen had no problem defeating GM Vidit Gujrathi 2-0, advancing to the next stage of the lower bracket. Interestingly, Levon Aronian made a statement by eliminating an in-form Hikaru Nakamura after beating Carlsen 2-0 the day before. It will now be the young Indian, Erigaisi, who will take the mighty “Aronian test” in the semis, while an all-American Caruana-Niemann clash will serve the fans with a treat.

The semifinals is set to commence on July 18, from 2 pm ET.

Photo courtesy: Stev Bonhage / Freestyle Chess