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Levon Aronian after winning the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2025. (Lennart Ootes via Saint Louis Chess)

After losing to streamer, Levon Aronian goes on unbeaten streak to claim South Africa leg of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour

December 12, 2025 3:31 pm

Behind Aronian and Carlsen, Germany's Vincent Keymer claimed third place after defeating Javokhir Sindarov. Fabiano Caruana secured fifth place with a 1.5–0.5 victory over Arjun Erigaisi

File image of Magnus Carlsen during the Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz tournament in Kolkata. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Magnus Carlsen vs Levon Aronian in Freestyle Chess final even as Norwegian wraps up Grand Slam Tour title

December 11, 2025 11:56 am

India's Arjun Erigaisi will face Fabiano Caruana for the fifth place spot and Hans Niemann will face Parham Maghsoodloo in the match for seventh spot.

Levon Aronian, the soul of chess, and popular at 42, rediscovers his prime years again

August 19, 2025 5:37 pm

Both Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen are happy to see him win, and the Armenian remains the principled soul of the game, while staying flamboyant.

(LEFT) Popular streamer Levy Rozman (known as Gotham Chess) reacts after world champion Gukesh (RIGHT) traps his queen in a Freestyle Friday game. (PHOTOS: Screengrabs via Chess.com and Gotham Chess YouTube)

When Gukesh forced world's top chess streamer, Gotham Chess, to resign in just nine moves

August 11, 2025 12:12 am

Rozman (who goes by the name Gotham Chess) is an International Master, which is only one step below the grandmaster title. Rozman's peak rating has been 2421.

Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, both wearing noise-cancellation headphones, play at the Las Vegas event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. (PHOTO: Freestyle Chess)

Is chess ready for in-arena audience that cheers and shouts like at other 'spectator sport' events?

August 01, 2025 1:21 pm

At the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess event, presence of live audience with access to live commentary and eval bar didn’t go well despite players wearing noise-cancellation headphones to not get distracted.

File image of Fabiano Caruana during a Grand Chess Tour event. (PHOTO: Lennart Ootes for GCT)

Fabiano Caruana's scathing interview slamming Freestyle Chess event rules deleted, then restored, claims player

July 29, 2025 6:22 pm

In the interview, Caruana had expressed his displeasure at the fact that the spectators who were going to be in the playing hall would have access to live commentary and that they could also know via the eval bar. He said he had heart fans shouting during games.

Magnus Carlsen with his wife Ella in Singapore last year. (PHOTO: Facebook/Magnus Carlsen)

Magnus Carlsen's wife Ella: 'Arjun Erigaisi's very sweet... but on board he's just a maniac, out there hunting and going crazy'

July 23, 2025 2:15 pm

Ella said: "All three (Gukesh, Pragg and Arjun) are very different, but Magnus did say that Pragg plays more similarly to him, the most similar to him." She also opened up about the first time she had interacted with Gukesh

Magnus Carlsen finished third at Las Vegas Freestyle event. (Freestyle Chess/Lennart Ootes)

'Not going to win every tournament,' 'I was pretty hard on myself': Carlsen takes pride in fighting back at Las Vegas Freestyle event

July 21, 2025 5:06 pm

Magnus Carlsen finished third at the Las Vegas leg of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam event on Monday.

Praggnanandhaa ended seventh in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour event in Las Vegas. (Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.)

What did Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa win at Las Vegas for 6th and 7th place finishes at Las Vegas Freestyle Chess event?

July 22, 2025 7:14 pm

Hans Niemann, who lost to Aronian in the final, will go home $1,40,000 richer (approx Rs 1.2 crore) while Magnus Carlsen pockets $1,00,000 (approx Rs 1.2 crore) for ending third in the tournament.

For the second time in a week, Magnus Carlsen resigned against Praggnanandhaa in a Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour game in Las Vegas. (Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.)

Praggnanandhaa vs Magnus Carlsen: How India's rising chess star eclipsed World No.1 twice in a week at Las Vegas Freestyle event

July 21, 2025 7:45 pm

Carlsen, being the genius he is, fought back, but Praggnanandhaa has emerged as by far the most competent Indian to take the world's best player head-on.