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Aronian Defeats Niemann, Wins $200,000 First Prize In Las Vegas
Aronian celebrated the win with his wife Anita Ayvazyan and daughter Zabelle. Photo: Stev Bonhage/Freestyle Chess.

Aronian Defeats Niemann, Wins $200,000 First Prize In Las Vegas

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GM Levon Aronian has been crowned the $200,000 winner of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Las Vegas on Sunday after overcoming GM Hans Niemann 1.5-0.5 in the Final. Aronian held firm in an opposite-colored bishop ending in the first, before putting on a masterclass to take the match.

Meanwhile, GM Magnus Carlsen won $100,000 in a playoff for third against GM Hikaru Nakamura, following his exile to the lower bracket in the wake of an underwhelming group stage performance.

Upper Bracket


Lower Bracket

Aronian 1.5-0.5 Niemann

Under the neon lights of Sin City, a match "written in the stars" between Aronian and Niemann transpired on the final day of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam. With $140,000 on offer as consolation for second, it's easy to assume that the players would be happy regardless of the result; however, players showed no signs of contentment and showed intent to fight.

Aronian and Niemann are friendly with each other, but on Sunday, they meant business. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.

Starting with the white pieces, Niemann felt that the best setup was a Stonewall-esque pawn structure in the center, a sentiment that Aronian shared, evidenced by his symmetrization of the position.

Maneuvering became the focal point of the middlegame, and thanks to a clever intermezzo, Niemann found himself up by a pawn in an opposite-colored bishop endgame. Niemann fell just short of winning after missing two major opportunities to capitalize on Black's errors. 

While speaking to Chess.com's commentary team at the end of the day's play, Aronian spoke about the game: "Opposite-colored bishop endgames are always so tricky, and you feel that it's simple and you can do this and that, but there are always these kinds of tricky ideas."

All in the balance. Niemann awaits his fate in the second game of the match. Photo: Stev Bonhage/Freestyle Chess.

Game two's starting position allowed for d4- and c4-pawn pushes that resembled the Queen's Gambit, and Aronian saw this as an opportunity to take control of the center early. By move 16, the 42-year-old had built a strong edge, and his next move, 17.Nb4!, which he dubbed his best of the day, helped carve a path to victory.

The deciding game was our Game of the Day, and has been analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao below.

Upon Niemann extending his hand in resignation, a rousing, thunderous applause erupted from the live audience, bouncing off the walls of the Wyn ballroom. When Aronian was later asked by GM David Howell how this victory ranked compared to other achievements in his career, Aronian stated that it was "definitely one of the crown jewels." 

Despite $200,000 being the largest individual prize Aronian has ever won, there is little time for celebration. On Monday, he, along with several other participants, will jet to Saudi Arabia, where they will contest the $1,500,000, 2025 Esports World Cup. Speaking about his chances there, Aronian came across as quietly confident: "I think if you play well, you're full of energy."

The grind never stops for Aronian.

Aside from winning a healthy check for second place, Niemann can take solace in knowing that his spot for the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tournament in South Africa has been confirmed, along with the rest of the top six, as per an announcement at the prizegiving by Jan Henric Buettner.

Carlsen 1.5-0.5 Nakamura

The showdown for third place featured two of chess's most high-profile players, and Nakamura wasted no time trying to dispatch Carlsen in the first game. A golden, albeit difficult-to-see opportunity to entomb Carlsen's queen on the edge of the board was missed by Nakamura, leaving the door open for Carlsen to escape with a draw.

In his YouTube recap, Nakamura spoke about how the engine made the aforementioned position look simpler than it was: "Of course, the computer will say that Black is winning with perfect play. Black is. But it's just not that simple from a human perspective."

In the second game, Carlsen built an early queenside advantage and exerted pressure on Nakamura's castled king. His light-squared bishop was the hero of this game, and when it entrenched itself on the e4-square, victory became a matter of when, not if.

Thus, Carlsen won the hefty $100,000 third prize, while Nakamura bagged $60,000.

Buettner poses alongside his co-founder and the third-placed winner Carlsen. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.

The latter was perhaps unlucky to come face-to-face with an in-form Aronian in the Winners Bracket Quarterfinals—with only three losses in the entire event, he was the player with the fewest defeats.

5th-8th Place Matches

The rest of the top-eight positions were determined in mini-matches on Sunday morning, with GM Fabiano Caruana facing off against GM Arjun Erigaisi for fifth, and GM Wesley So against GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu for seventh.

Caruana-Arjun was a one-sided affair, and the former brought indomitable form that saw Arjun slump to a third straight 0-2 defeat, 24 hours after falling to Carlsen by the same margin.

Preparation help from Carlsen couldn't save Arjun from a rampaging Caruana. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.

Caruana capped off the match with a brilliancy that would have won Arjun's queen, if not for his immediate resignation.

An ultra-solid draw in the first game of So-Praggnanandhaa gave the Indian GM a chance to play with the white pieces for the win. So's decision to play 8...Rc7? put him on the back foot early, and though it took Praggnanandhaa some time to convert, the result was never in doubt. A 1.5-0.5 score in favor of Praggnanandhaa marked the end of an impressive showing in Las Vegas.

Praggnanandhaa's second game was clean as a whistle. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.

The momentum of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour powers onward, and with the next event taking place in the country of Buettner's chief residence in South Africa, expect no expense to be spared on the last leg of the tour.

Aronian admitted that he loves Freestyle Chess and will no doubt make the effort to play in South Africa. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.

Prizes

Rank Name Fed Prize
1 GM Levon Aronian $200,000
2 GM Hans Niemann $140,000
3 GM Magnus Carlsen $100,000
4 GM Hikaru Nakamura $60,000
5 GM Fabiano Caruana $50,000
6 GM Arjun Erigaisi $40,000
7 GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu $30,000
8 GM Wesley So $20,000
How to Rewatch
You can rewatch the 2025 Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam on the Chess.com YouTube or Twitch channels, and GM Hikaru Nakamura's Kick channel. You can also check out the results on our dedicated events page.

GM David Howell, IM Tania Sachdev, and James "Dash" Patterson hosted the broadcast.

The $750,000 3rd leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam was played in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 16th - 20th. Participants included GMs Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Levon Aronian, and Hans Niemann. All games were played in freestyle chess.

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