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Praggnanandhaa defeats World No.1 Carlsen to enter Freestyle chess quarterfinals
Jul 17, 2025In a stunning upset at the Freestyle Grand Slam chess event in Las Vegas, 19-year-old Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen to secure his place in the quarterfinals.
Praggnanandhaa outplayed the Norwegian chess champion in just 39 moves during a dominant Round 4 clash. The young Indian's victory marked a significant milestone in his career and sent shockwaves through the tournament.
Carlsen, who has consistently led the overall tour standings, now finds himself knocked out of title contention. Despite a tie for fourth place in Group White, Carlsen’s defeat to Praggnanandhaa, combined with a subsequent loss in a playoff against Levon Aronian, dropped him to the lower bracket. With no chance of winning the title, the best Carlsen can now achieve is a third-place finish.
On the other hand, Praggnanandhaa's performance has been nothing short of impressive. His victory over Carlsen adds to a string of strong results, including a draw against fellow top contender Nodirbek Abdusattorov and wins over Bibisara Assaubayeva and Vincent Keymer. He now shares the lead in Group White with Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov, all tied with 4.5 points.
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