 "Magnus Carlsen is the champion of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam 2025. Arjun Erigaisi, meanwhile, is out of the last four race. Reuters/XArjun_Erigaisi")
World number one Magnus Carlsen sealed the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour title after he entered the semifinals of the South Africa Finals on Tuesday in Cape Town. He defeated American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in the quarterfinal to clinch the season championship and the $100,000 bonus prize.
Meanwhile, Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi could not break into the semifinals after losing to Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the quarterfinals.
Apart from Carlsen and Keymer, America’s Levon Aronian and the reigning World Cup champion Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan also entered the semifinals.
Carlsen started with a loss but bounced back
The Norwegian Grandmaster had already a sizeable lead in the tour standings coming into the finals. He only had to reach the semifinals to seal the title and this is what he did. But Caruana gave him a run for his money in the quarters.
Carlsen blundered in the first game to help Caruana take the lead but the top-ranked chess star bounced back to win with black in the second game. He then won the first blitz game before closing out the match with a second victory.
“I did feel very good about being there but it was difficult to adjust to quicker chess,” he said. “I had to tell myself several times, ‘make a move, come one, what are you doing?’ But then my intuition wasn’t really telling me anything because we’re playing Freestyle and it’s more difficult, the pieces are in slightly different squares than I’m used to. But fortunately when it came down to bullet scramble I am usually a bit better than him there, so I managed to pull it out.”
Arjun out of semifinal race
Arjun could not make it to the semifinals after a loss to Keymer. The two settled for a draw in the first game before Keymer won the second to end Arjun’s challenge.
The Indian will still be in action in the competition with an aim to finish at the fifth spot. He will now be in action against Hans Niemann in the lower-bracket semifinal.
Freestyle Chess Grand Slam semifinal lineup
Magnus Carlsen vs. Javokhir Sindarov
Vincent Keymer vs. Levon Aronian