Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: Magnus Carlsen draws first blood against Hikaru Nakamura in Paris final

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Apr 13, 2025, 22:02 IST

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Magnus Carlsen secured a 1-0 lead against Hikaru Nakamura in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam final in Paris, capitalising on a crucial error by Nakamura. Carlsen's precise conversion of the advantage puts pressure on Nakamura to win the second game. Fabiano Caruana also leads in the third-place match, while other placement matches saw victories for Arjun Erigaisi and Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: Magnus Carlsen draws first blood against Hikaru Nakamura in Paris final

File image of Magnus Carlsen (TOI Photo)

Magnus Carlsen leads Hikaru Nakamura 1-0 in the final of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris after a tense opening game on Sunday. In a high-stakes clash between the world number one and two, Carlsen emerged victorious following a strategic battle that hinged on a single error from his rival.
Nakamura defended resourcefully for much of the game, but a critical misstep — a risky bishop move on turn 35 — allowed Carlsen to seize the initiative. The Norwegian, renowned for his clinical technique, converted the advantage with trademark precision to take the lead in the best-of-two final.
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This encounter is the latest chapter in their legendary rivalry, dubbed “El Chessico” by Carlsen. Nakamura must now win on demand in Monday’s second game to force tiebreaks.

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Elsewhere, Fabiano Caruana moved a step closer to securing a place at the next Grand Slam event in Las Vegas. He leads Vincent Keymer 1-0 in their third-place match after capitalising on a late error.
In placement matches, Arjun Erigaisi defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to lead the fight for 5th, while Ian Nepomniachtchi outplayed Nodirbek Abdusattorov to take the lead in the 7th place clash. The tournament concludes Monday.

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TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

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