National Times Bureau, July 18, 2025: Chennai’s Arjun Erigaisi stormed into the semifinals of the prestigious USD 750,000 Freestyle Grand Slam Tour with a dominant victory over Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The 20-year-old Indian Grandmaster secured the match 1.5-0.5, displaying top form and clinical precision.
In contrast, fellow Indian star R Praggnanandhaa bowed out of the title race after a marathon 3-4 loss to the USA’s Fabiano Caruana. The seven-game thriller saw Praggnanandhaa take the lead on three occasions, but Caruana’s resilience helped him snatch victory in the decider.
Arjun was unstoppable against Abdusattorov, maintaining an edge from the opening in both games. In the second game, playing white, he secured a rook-for-bishop advantage early on and never looked back. The match ended with Arjun clearly dominating with his extra material. Although he dropped half a point in the first game due to late inaccuracies, his performance left little doubt about his readiness for the semifinals.
Meanwhile, in the other quarterfinal clashes, American players dominated. Levon Aronian edged past Hikaru Nakamura 2.5-1.5 in a closely fought match, while Hans Moke Niemann outplayed Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan 4-2. The semifinal line-up now features Arjun Erigaisi versus Aronian and Niemann taking on Caruana.
In the lower bracket, world number one Magnus Carlsen bounced back in style, defeating India’s Vidit Gujrathi 2-0. Wesley So and Leinier Dominguez Perez also registered straightforward wins over their respective opponents, Samuel Sevian and Bibisara Assaubayeva. Germany’s Vincent Keymer, winner of the first leg, defeated Robson Ray of the USA 2.5-1.5 to stay in contention.
Though Praggnanandhaa’s title hopes in the upper bracket ended, his campaign continues in the lower bracket where another knockout opportunity awaits.
Arjun Erigaisi Powers Into Semis, Praggnanandhaa Falls to Caruana in Freestyle Grand Slam
0 Comments 
