[By Our Correspondent]
Indian teenage Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa achieved a landmark victory, defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a commanding Round 4 match at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas. The 19-year-old prodigy sealed the win in just 39 moves, marking a significant moment in his career and continuing Carlsen’s recent struggles against India’s emerging chess talent.
Playing with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa demonstrated exceptional control and precision throughout the game, achieving an accuracy of 93.9% against Carlsen’s uncharacteristically low 84.9%. The victory in the 10-minute + 10-second increment match gave Praggnanandhaa the sole lead in his group and established his dominance over Carlsen across all major chess formats: Classical, Rapid, and Blitz.
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The win was particularly poignant as it occurred at a tournament co-founded by Carlsen himself, centered on the innovative Freestyle (Chess960) format. In a post-game interview, Praggnanandhaa commented on his preference for the format, stating, “I like Freestyle more than Classical right now,” reflecting the confidence and composure that led to his victory.
Carlsen’s Unexpected Downfall in Las Vegas
Magnus Carlsen’s tournament began with strong wins over Vincent Keymer and Levon Aronian, but his performance faltered after a Round 3 draw with Javokhir Sindarov. The subsequent loss to Praggnanandhaa was a critical blow, followed by another defeat to American GM Wesley So and a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Though he won his final group stage match against Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva, Carlsen’s four points were not enough to secure a direct spot in the knockouts. He was forced into a playoff against Aronian for the last quarterfinal position, where he lost both games, resulting in a shocking fifth-place finish and an early exit from the tournament.
Performance of the Indian Contingent
Praggnanandhaa topped Group White with 4.5 points, advancing to the championship bracket on tiebreaks after wins against Carlsen, Keymer, and Assaubayeva. Fellow Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi also progressed from Group Black, finishing third behind Hikaru Nakamura and Hans Niemann. However, the tournament ended early for Vidit Gujrathi, who finished last in the same group.