Arjun Erigaisi Stuns Magnus Carlsen With Epic Victory At Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals, India No. 1 To Face Vincent Keymer In Knockouts

Arjun Erigaisi has stunned the World Number One, Magnus Carlsen, while in action in the fifth round of the round-robin stage at the Freestyle Grand Slam Finals 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa.

With the win over Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi has positioned himself in the number three spot, with Javokhir Sindarov leading the standings. Him, Levon Aronian and Erigaisi complete the top three of the rankings.

India's number one chess player picked up 4.5 points in the competition so far.

Arjun Erigaisi Outplays Magnus Carlsen At Freestyle Grand Slam Finals 2025

World Number five Arjun Erigaisi kept his calm under pressure and utilised Magnus Carlsen's error against him to secure a win in the fifth round with the white pieces.

Erigaisi had a shaky start as he had picked up two draws and a loss in the first three rounds of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals. But India's number one went on to secure consecutive wins against Vincent Keymer in round four and then against Magnus Carlsen in Round 5.

Arjun Erigaisi is currently tied with Magnus Carlsen in terms of points, but he has held on to the third position, while the world number one is right behind him in fourth.

Erigaisi is coming off a win at a rapid tournament in Jerusalem, Israel, where he defeated the legendary Viswanathan Anand in the summit clash.

Also Read: R Praggnanandhaa Secures Spot In 2026 Candidates Tournament After Winning FIDE Circuit 2025

Magnus Carlsen seemingly struggled and looked under pressure under the rapid rules. As he tried to stabilise himself, the world number one lost time on the clock. Carlsen was eventually defeated after he lost time on the clock.

Arjun Erigaisi Elects Vincent Keymer As His Opponent In Knockouts

According to the Grand Slam rules, the top eight players have advanced to the knockout stage, and the top three players have the leverage to select their own opponents in the competition from the bottom four.

Arjun Erigaisi elected to face Vincent Keymer in the knockout stage. The World number five has already defeated Keymer once in round four, and it will be an interesting battle to keep an eye out for.

Also Read: India's FIDE World Cup Hopes End As Arjun Erigaisi Gets Knocked Out By Wei Yi In Quarterfinals Stage

Check out the remaining pairings for the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals Knockouts:

• Javokhir Sindarov vs. Parham Maghsoodloo

• Levon Aronian vs. Hans Niemann

• Arjun Erigaisi vs. Vincent Keymer

• Magnus Carlsen vs. Fabiano Caruana