Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa suffered a narrow and heartbreaking defeat at the hands of American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in a tense Armageddon tiebreaker at the Freestyle Chess Las Vegas Grand Slam. The loss ended Praggnanandhaa’s run in the title race, just a day after he stunned Magnus Carlsen. Meanwhile, fellow Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi kept the country’s hopes alive by booking his spot in the semi-finals with a dominant performance.
Praggnanandhaa entered the quarterfinals in high spirits after dismantling five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in just 39 moves. Against world No.3 Caruana, he displayed the same fearless form. The two remained inseparable across all formats, ending their six games—two Classical, two Rapid, and two Blitz—in a 3-3 deadlock.
The quarter-final clash moved to the tournament’s first Armageddon game after all other formats failed to produce a winner. In Armageddon, White plays with more time and must win, while Black advances even with a draw. Caruana, playing Black, outlasted Praggnanandhaa in a 72-move marathon to advance to the semi-finals. The 32-year-old American now faces compatriot Hans Niemann, who defeated Javokhir Sindarov 4-2.
Arjun Erigaisi delivered one of the most commanding performances of the round. He defeated Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov 1.5-0.5, sealing victory in just the two Classical games. Erigaisi now faces Levon Aronian in the semi-finals. Aronian has shown stellar form, knocking out both Carlsen and world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura.
Magnus Carlsen, eliminated from the title race by Praggnanandhaa, bounced back by thrashing India’s Vidit Gujrathi in the lower bracket. He now moves to the Intermediate Matches Stage 1, where he will face Sindarov.
Despite the title loss, Praggnanandhaa will continue to compete in classification rounds. He faces Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the next match, aiming to finish strong.
