Niemann's impressive run ends in Freestyle Chess Las Vegas final as Aronian wins; Carlsen beats Nakamura for 3rd spot

Controversial Grandmaster Hans Niemann’s dream run at the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam came to an end in the final as former World Rapid and Blitz champion Levon Aronian captured the trophy with a comprehensive win on Sunday. Aronian claimed the $200,000 prize money after beating Niemann 1.5-0.5 in the final.

Meanwhile, world No.1 Magnus Carlsen finished third by beating Hikaru Nakamura after being eliminated from the title race and clinched the $100,000 prize money.

Aronian downs spirited Niemann

Nonetheless, the biggest story from the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas has been the stupendous form of Niemann in a tournament that is co-owned by Carlsen. Niemann had been accused of cheating by Carlsen, but those allegations could not stop him from obliterating all the challenges that came his way, as the 22-year-old reached the final, where he met the other in-form player, Aronian, the one who eliminated Carlsen to the lower bracket.

Niemann played the first game of the final with white pieces and created a stonewall pawn structure in the centre that was also mimicked by Aronian. However, the American GM pulled off an intermezzo, resulting in a position where he was up by a pawn in an opposite-coloured bishop endgame. He eventually failed to pounce on Aronian’s errors as the match ended in a draw.

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The second game witnessed a Queen’s Gambit opening as Aronian soon took control of the game and with the move 17.Nb4!, created a nice path to the victory. The match eventually lasted for 37 minutes before Niemann threw in the towel and took home a prize money of $140,000. He has also confirmed a spot in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tournament in South Africa.

How Carlsen defeated Nakamura

The first Carlsen vs Nakamura game ended in a draw with the former having the white pieces. In the second game, Carlsen seized an early queenside edge and steadily increased pressure on Nakamura’s castled king. His light-squared bishop proved decisive, and once it anchored itself on the e4-square, the match was locked.

In the match for the fifth-place finish, Fabiano Caruana defeated India’s Arjun Erigaisi 2-0, while R Praggnanandhaa defeated Wesley So 1.5-0.5 to finish seventh. The top six are guaranteed a spot in the South Africa leg.