Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Day 7: Carlsen Beats Nakamura In Thriller

GM Magnus Carlsen sacrificed a pawn on transfer 4 and went on to defeat GM Hikaru Nakamura within the first sport of the 2025 Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Last. It was an excellent win that places Carlsen a draw away from the title and $200,000, however Nakamura got here agonizingly near escaping earlier than blundering simply when salvation was in sight.

All of the matches featured decisive motion, with GM Fabiano Caruana taking the lead in opposition to GM Vincent Keymer within the battle for third, GM Arjun Erigaisi outplaying GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave within the duel for fifth, and GM Ian Nepomniachtchi successful an insane conflict in opposition to GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov within the combat for seventh.

The ultimate day of the 2025 Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam begins on Monday, April 14, at 7 a.m. ET / 13:00 CEST / 4:30 p.m. IST.

Standings

Carlsen 1-0 Nakamura

Appears like a great day to go for a pleasant lengthy jog…precisely what am I doing enjoying chess right this moment?! #ParisMarathon pic.twitter.com/6XB3fThAdb

— Hikaru Nakamura (@GMHikaru) April 13, 2025

Carlsen, in the meantime, was in good spirits, saying he felt rather a lot higher after feeling sick for the final couple of days. He discovered a while to work together with followers as he arrived on the venue.

Carlsen stops for pictures and selfies forward of right this moment’s Last in opposition to Nakamura! #FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/y4Ii2U3NPZ

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 13, 2025

The passion carried into the sport, with Carlsen visiting the confessional thrice throughout the first couple of strikes. He mentioned his plans, identified some alternatives to play Nxh7# smothered mate, and famous he was half-provoking Nakamura to play 3…g5.

As an alternative Nakamura was provoked into enjoying 3…e5!?, a transfer that radically prevented d4, at the very least for then. Carlsen responded with one other pawn sacrifice, 4.b4!. 

Magnus: “Hikaru is a superb defender so sacrificing a pawn early on doesn’t appear to be an apparent stylistic selection… however as soon as I noticed b4 it was onerous to withstand!

For the second it’s trying very thrilling!” https://t.co/fHTFcb1YCA

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 13, 2025

The transfer was inventive and robust, particularly when backed up with one other pawn sac two strikes later, however what would make the place notably fascinating was that each gamers appreciated what they bought. Carlsen’s knight bought to h6, with some ingenious play required to maintain it there—right here 13.Bb2! has the purpose that 13…Bxh6?? can be crushed by 14.Nxd5+!.

Nakamura stated of the knight:

I think I used to be in all probability a lot better if not successful in some unspecified time in the future early within the sport. I may very well be missing in objectivity, however I had the sensation when this knight was on h6, it ought to be excellent for me, by some means. 

That maybe explains why Nakamura appeared puzzled by lots of Carlsen’s strikes, which actually have been all working to take care of a bonus—nevertheless precarious—for White.

Nakamura regretted his choice to swap off queens, having missed that 19.Nf6! would observe and field in his king, although it is noteworthy that the transfer he had seen, 19.Nc3!, additionally will get the silicon stamp of approval.

It quickly seemed like a dream endgame for Carlsen, with GMs Judit Polgar and Peter Leko competing to reward White’s place.

Judit on the pawn-up endgame: “From a sensible viewpoint it is zero probability in opposition to Magnus”
Leko: “It might not be right for chess if a place like this was holdable!” #FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/Ft48PaMPwH

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 13, 2025

As on the day gone by in opposition to Caruana, nevertheless, Carlsen mixed sensible ideas and strikes with the occasional blunder. The world number-one missed an opportunity to play e4 when it was the one clear successful transfer, then on transfer 32 performed it when sluggish, methodical play was the best way to go. Nakamura pounced with 32…f5! and was all of a sudden proper again within the sport.       

With each gamers underneath 5 minutes, the climax got here three strikes later, when essentially the most pure transfer on the earth, 35…Rxh2, ought to have been a draw, regardless of some struggling forward. As an alternative Nakamura performed 35…Ba2?, which he referred to as “simply insane.”

Wowwww Hikaru blunders in opposition to Magnus #FreestyleChess https://t.co/3S2W9rgw9F pic.twitter.com/CwNkqoXwB8

— Chess.com (@chesscom) April 13, 2025

One transfer by Carlsen, 36.Bf8+!, and Nakamura raced via the phases of grief earlier than resigning.

Nakamura resigns and Carlsen is a draw away from successful the $200,000 Paris #FreestyleChess Grand Slam! pic.twitter.com/sG1AaFfAGC

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 13, 2025

GM Rafael Leitao takes us via all of the twists and turns of Carlsen’s win under.

And here is Nakamura’s personal recap:

Which means Nakamura should now win the second classical sport to take the ultimate to tiebreaks. He is not the one one in that boat.

third Place Last: Keymer 0-1 Caruana

Secondly, there’s the prize of robotically qualifying for the subsequent Grand Slam, which will likely be held in Las Vegas in July. If another excuse to look at the match have been wanted, that is additionally a repeat of the ultimate in Weissenhaus, in order that Caruana has an opportunity to take revenge. 

The U.S. star bought off to an ideal begin, since he neutralized Keymer out of the opening after which regularly took over ready that felt as if it will liquidate right into a draw.

As an alternative Keymer’s knight bought stranded, Caruana bought the higher hand in a wild time-trouble stage, after which he ultimately received an endgame place which will have been a fortress however was extraordinarily onerous to play with little time.

Fabiano Caruana takes the lead in opposition to Vincent Keymer within the essential third place match — the winner will get $100,000 but in addition an computerized spot within the Las Vegas #FreestyleChess Grand Slam! pic.twitter.com/yvjCNgW70V

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 13, 2025

Keymer should now win with Black on Monday to maintain his third-place hopes alive.

fifth Place Last: Vachier-Lagrave 0-1 Arjun

The smoothest win of the day was for Arjun, who continued his sensible kind from the day earlier than. This time there have been no actual brilliancies, however he seized the initiative early on in opposition to Vachier-Lagrave when he bought to push his d-pawn, after which solely grew the benefit, with a later change sacrifice not serving to the Frenchman’s trigger. 

The heartrates additionally informed the identical story.

Arjun is the good participant round! #FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/Hw8TCXalFR

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 13, 2025

seventh Place Last: Abdusattorov 0-1 Nepomniachtchi

Even seventh place is price $30,000, however it felt like this was a sport between two gamers who took their frustration at earlier setbacks out on one another in a wild conflict. The issues have been virtually unfathomable, however in abstract, Nepomniachtchi’s all-or-nothing assault finally paid off, though White was at occasions fully successful.

Here is the latter part of the sport, from Abdusattorov enjoying 26.Nd4!? and leaving three items, together with his queen, en prise! 

Abdusattorov was a really late substitute for GM Hans Niemann and has acquitted himself nicely for a lot of the event, however he’ll be hoping he can hit again on the ultimate day and end with a flourish!