arjun-finishes-6th-pragg-7th-in-freestyle-chess-grand-slam

Indian chess sensations Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa finished sixth and seventh, respectively, while Grandmaster Levon Aronian of the United States stamped his class by winning the title in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.

 

Aronian survived some anxious moments before defeating compatriot Hans Moke Niemann 1.5-0.5 in the finals of the tournament. World Number 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway also faced a similar situation as he rallied after a disappointing first game to outplay Hikaru Nakamura of the United States in the third-place play-off.

 

Arjun went down 0-2 to Fabiano Caruana of the US, while Praggnanandhaa defeated another American Wesley So 1.5-0.5 to clinch the seventh spot among the last eight remaining participants in this event.

 

Aronian took home a cash prize of US $200,000 as the winner, while Arjun got US $40000 for his sixth-place finish. Praggnanandhaa pocketed USD $30,000 after his final round win.

 

Praggnanandhaa played solidly as black in the first game and played out a draw, while in the second he was relentless as he cruised home easily on a day when his sister R Vaishali was ousted from the FIDE Women's World Cup at Batumi, Georgia. After a promising start in the event which saw him in the early stage semifinals, Arjun lost both his games against Caruana. The Indian will, however, be happy that he was in the top four after the conclusion of the group stage.

 

It's going to be a busy season for Arjun and Praggnanandhaa as the two now proceed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the E-Sports World Cup, which starts in a few days. Subsequently, Arjun will be seen in action in the Chennai Grandmasters tournament starting in the first week of August, while Praggnanandhaa will go back to the United States for two back-to-back events of the Grand Chess tour in St Louis.

 

Results: Finals: Levon Aronian (USA) beat Hans Moke Niemann (USA) 1.5-0.5; Magnus Carlsen (Nor) beat Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 1.5-0.5; 5-6 place: Arjun Erigaisi (Ind) lost to Fabiano Caruana (Usa) 0-2; 7-8 place: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) beat Wesley So (Usa) 1.5-0.5.