World Chess Champion faces Relegation in Paris: Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour Paris Day 2
Day 2 of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris on April 8, 2025, delivered high-stakes drama as World Champion D Gukesh’s struggles deepened, culminating in his elimination from the knockout stage. The 18-year-old started his day 2 with full force, beating Praggnanandhaa and Keymer. However, the comeback was not written for the Indian, as he went on to lose the next 3 games, facing relegation in the knockout stage. While the other Indians–Pragg and Vidit–also had dry spells, Arjun Erigaisi held the fort for the Indians, making his way to the quarterfinals with a 4th place finish. Here’s how the standings looked at the end of the Rapid Round Robin Stage:
Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen showcased his trademark consistency, finishing second in the round-robin with 8/11 points, and he did so alongside his friend and co-world blitz champion Ian Nepomniachtchi. Nepo put up a mighty late surge with 4.5/5 on day 2, finishing as the leader.
The top eight qualifiers—Nepomniachtchi, Carlsen, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi, Hikaru Nakamura, Vincent Keymer, and Fabiano Caruana—now advance to the knockout phase, set to begin on April 9. Carlsen’s strong showing reaffirms his status as a Freestyle titan but It would remain to be seen if Keymer pulls out his ‘Knockout stage sorcery’ yet again or would Erigaisi make a name in the brand new format? As the tournament shifts to classical time controls, all eyes will be on whether Carlsen can reclaim the top spot in this unpredictable format.
Official website: www.freestyle-chess.com
Photo courtesy: Lennart Ootes / Freestyle Chess
