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After winning over Nodribek Abdusattorov at the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi was the only Indian to reach the semi-finals as R Praggnanandhaa’s challenge came to a halt after a defeat from Fabiano Caruana in the quarter-final stage. While in the lower brackets, their fellow Indian teammate Vidit Gujrathi was beaten by Magnus Carlsen. The American duo of Levon Aronian and Hans Niemann were the other winners of the quarter-finals. The former faced Arjun in the semifinal clash of the USD 750,000 tournament.
In his semi-final clash against Levon Aronian, Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi was beaten 2-0. Coming into the semis after beating Magnus Carlsen in the play-off for a top-four spot on the prelims, Arjun failed to convert his chances in the game against Aronian. With the lead, Aronian just needed a draw in the return game, but he played subtly to gain that edge. Arjun on the other hand, needed a win to stay in the match, and in search of that, he took some risks that cost him dearly.
Levon Aronian will face Hans Niemann in Las Vegas Freestyle Grand Slam final
After defeating GM Arjun Erigaisi in the semi-final, Levon Aronian will face American candidate Hans Niemann. Niemann defeated his American compatriot Fabiano Caruana, out-maneuvering Caruana with some finely crafted game in the middle stages of the match. In the quarter-final, Arjun Erigaisi prevailed over Uzbekistan’s Nodribek Abdusattorov 1.5-0.5.
Another Indian to reach till the quarter-final stage was GM R Praggnanandhaa, who bowed out of the title race in a 3-4 loss to Fabiano Caruana, were both involved in as many as seven games.
