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

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.