Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi secured a victory against Magnus Carlsen in the round-robin stage of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, South Africa.FIDE World Cup champion Javokhir Sindarov led the standings with 5.5 points, followed by Levon Aronian with 5 points.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Erigaisi accumulated 4.5 points after completing seven rounds, securing the third position.The group stage’s top three performers have the privilege of selecting their knockout stage opponents, with Sindarov getting the first choice. Erigaisi will compete against Vincent Keymer, while Carlsen is set to face Fabiano Caruana in the quarterfinals.This tournament marks the fifth event in the year-long tour, following previous competitions held in Germany, France, and the United States. The finals winner will earn the title of 2025 Freestyle Chess Champion.Carlsen currently leads the tour standings and needs only a fourth-place finish in the finals to secure the overall tour victory, which includes a USD 100,000 bonus prize.The knockout stage matchups have been confirmed: Javokhir Sindarov will play against Parham Maghsoodloo, Levon Aronian will face Hans Niemann, Arjun Erigaisi will compete with Vincent Keymer, and Magnus Carlsen will take on Fabiano Caruana.
