GM Hans Niemann celebrated his birthday by profitable two matches to qualify for the Las Vegas Freestyle Grand Slam subsequent month. After profitable two rounds yesterday, Niemann survived two harder matches in opposition to GMs Yu Yangyi and Denis Lazavik immediately to earn a spot within the event.
Knockout Bracket
The Play-In format options 16 gamers (12 invitees and 4 qualifiers) dueling their means by means of a single-elimination bracket in best-of-two, 15+3 Freestyle Chess matches. If the match rating is 1-1 after two video games, a two-game blitz tiebreaker, and at last a single armageddon recreation, had been used to separate the tie.
Lazavik 1.5-0.5 Fedoseev
Lazavik superior out of two rounds of knockouts in yesterday’s play-in event to succeed in the ultimate 4 immediately. After a lot work, he did not let GM Vladimir Fedoseev cease him within the semifinals.
Needing a win within the second recreation, Fedoseev gained a pawn and reached a a lot better rook endgame, however the saying that “all rook endgames are drawn” proved true as soon as once more, and Lazavik escaped with a 1.5-0.5 match victory.
Niemann 3-1 Yu
Whereas the opposite semi-final was a fast win for Lazavik, Niemann vs. Yu was a slugfest. Yu dominated the primary recreation, and appeared on his technique to becoming a member of Lazavik within the closing.
Denis Lazavik and Yu Yangyi win their video games virtually on the similar time!#FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/w7ozeGP2Km
— chess24 (@chess24com) June 20, 2025
Within the subsequent spherical, nonetheless, Niemann struck again rapidly, utilizing a pin to win a chunk within the opening.
Niemann would go on to win each video games of the blitz tiebreak, and with them, the match. He took his first lead with a intelligent tactic.
Niemann gained the fourth recreation as effectively, reaching the finals with a 3-1 victory.
Niemann 2.5-2.5 Lazavik
After dropping the primary recreation of the semifinals, Niemann loved a a lot better begin to his closing match. He constructed a robust assault with the black items. Whereas Niemann wasn’t in a position to convert cleanly, Lazavik’s defensive effort price him an excessive amount of time on the clock. Niemann stored enjoying sharply and finally reached an endgame with a queen in opposition to a rook and knight. An engine might need been capable of finding a fortress, however with seconds on the clock, the place was an excessive amount of for Lazavik to carry.
Hans Niemann wins with Black and is one recreation away from a ticket to Las Vegas! #FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/GYEPqKJE1Q
— chess24 (@chess24com) June 20, 2025
After the primary recreation, Lazavik wanted to strike again with the black items. Amazingly, it took him only some minutes.
Lazavik’s win despatched the match to a blitz tiebreak, the place issues settled down considerably. Each blitz video games had been drawn, main to at least one closing armageddon recreation to find out who would qualify for Las Vegas.
The gamers bid for occasions and Niemann obtained the black items and draw odds, however would solely begin the sport with 3:55 on his clock, in opposition to his opponent’s 5 minutes. As you may count on with restricted time and a freestyle place, the sport was messy, however Black was higher a lot of the means and Hans confirmed pleasure as he captured the final pawn to safe a draw and print his ticket to Vegas.
GM Rafael Leitao analyzes this important recreation under.
Hans Niemann qualifies for #FreestyleChess Las Vegas, on his birthday! pic.twitter.com/k363BfBdIj
— chess24 (@chess24com) June 20, 2025
Niemann was ecstatic after the occasion: “It couldn’t have been written any higher. It seems like a script. Typically my life seems like a script. That is the one means which you can perceive sure issues that occur.” He described his pleasure to play a event in America, the place he will not should journey far. It is going to be his first event in Las Vegas in years, after having a some profitable occasions there as a younger participant.
Find out how to Watch
The $750,000 third leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam shall be performed in Las Vegas, Nevada on July sixteenth – twentieth. Members embrace GMs Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Arjun Erigaisi, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Leinier Dominguez and Parham Maghsoodloo. Six extra opponents have but to be introduced and the ultimate participant shall be decided by the winner of this week’s knockout on Chess.com. All video games are performed in freestyle chess.
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