Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: Praggnanandhaa Beats Magnus Carlsen Again in Las Vegas

Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: Praggnanandhaa Beats Magnus Carlsen Again in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, July 20, 2025 — Indian chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, 19, has once again outshone the world’s number-one player, Magnus Carlsen, at the high-stakes Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas. This marks his second triumph over the five-time World Champion in just three days, a feat that has rattled the chess world and reinforced .

A Second Blow in the Semifinal Classification

In the semifinal classification match on Saturday, Praggnanandhaa — playing White — secured a dominant victory in 43 moves, prompting Carlsen to resign. The critical moment arrived on move 18, when Carlsen sacrificed his queen for a bishop and knight. Though Carlsen briefly regained equilibrium, it was Praggnanandhaa’s calm calculation in the late middlegame — especially the precise 41.Rc7 — that sealed Carlsen’s fate as checkmate loomed .

This win followed an earlier upset in the group stage, where Praggnanandhaa defeated Carlsen in just 39 moves — a performance so resounding it sent Carlsen to the lower bracket and effectively ended his shot at the title .

Tournament Format & Significance

The Las Vegas event is one of four legs of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, which features rapid 10+10 time-control games with 16 of the world’s best players. The format includes round-robin group stages for placement and knockout rounds, culminating in semifinals and the championship match. Starting with a pool of 16, the field narrows dramatically, with only the top four from each group advancing in the winners’ bracket .

Carlsen’s Challenging Path

Carlsen began strong, claiming early victories, but stumbled in rounds four and five, falling to both Praggnanandhaa and Wesley So. Despite a clutch win in the final seeding round, he was knocked out of the upper bracket by Levon Aronian in a tiebreak at a critical playoff, and ultimately relegated to the loser’s bracket with only a shot at third place remaining .

Praggnanandhaa’s Rise

Praggnanandhaa’s brilliant showing in Las Vegas is further proof of his rapid ascent. Once again proving his mettle against Carlsen — having first beaten him at age 16 in 2022, and securing a first classical defeat in 2024’s Norway Chess tournament — he continues to stack milestone after milestone .

In Las Vegas, he topped Group A with consecutive wins in rounds two to four, including his blowouts over Carlsen and So, thus earning qualification to the semifinals alongside Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Carlsen’s conqueror, Aronian .

Though he eventually fell to Fabiano Caruana in a fiercely contested quarterfinal tie, losing 4‑3, Praggnanandhaa’s dual victories over Carlsen are the undoubted highlight of his campaign

Community & Broadcast Buzz

The chess community has erupted in excitement. Chess.com’s coverage highlighted Praggnanandhaa’s poise, particularly in the opening game of the semifinal where he exploited Carlsen’s risky queen sacrifice .

Meanwhile, the world’s strongest-ranked player, Magnus Carlsen, reflected that the isolating nature of the format may have contributed to his collapse in focus — though he expressed regret, not excuses, over his tournament performance .

What Comes Next?

Las Vegas concludes the third leg of the Grand Slam. The $200,000 first prize remains up for grabs, to be decided by upcoming finals and placement matches. While Carlsen is now contesting for third, Praggnanandhaa looks poised to potentially claim his first major freestyle title .

More importantly, Praggnanandhaa’s twin shocks over Carlsen signal a changing of the guard — or at least the emergence of dangerous new blood. His rise resonates within a chess world keen to see generational competition.

Final Thoughts

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s back-to-back defeats of Magnus Carlsen at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas aren’t mere upsets — they are emblematic of a paradigm shift. With fearlessness, strategic maturity, and rapid-fire precision, he has solidified his reputation as one of the game’s brightest new talents.

As the tour heads into its final stages — and with future legs already set in Weissenhaus and Paris — Praggnanandhaa will be in the spotlight. Can he secure a maiden Grand Slam title? Or will established names like Carlsen, Caruana, Nakamura, and Aronian rally back?

Regardless, the chess world will be watching — especially after witnessing what some believe was one of the most memorable freestyle clashes in recent memory.