Carlsen bounces back, then wins
The second day of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals in South Africa featured the first matches of the knockout phase, with two-game encounters played at a 30+15 time control. No player was eliminated, as the tournament uses an upper- and lower-bracket system, but the results determined who advanced to Wednesday’s semifinals and who moved into the classification bracket for places five to eight. Two matches were settled in the classical portion, while the remaining encounters required blitz tiebreaks (5+2).
Magnus Carlsen secured his place in the semifinals by overcoming Fabiano Caruana in what turned out to be a four-game match. After losing the first game, he levelled the score by winning with black in game two. Carlsen then prevailed in both blitz tiebreakers, a result that mathematically guarantees him the overall Grand Slam Tour title, as no other player can catch his points total. Although eliminated from title contention on the Tour, Caruana now continues in the lower bracket.
Caruana 0-1 Carlsen (Game #2)
The Ragozin Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4) has become a cornerstone of modern chess theory. With 3.Nf3 gaining popularity as a way to avoid Nimzo-Indian setups and the challenges Black faces in the Queen’s Indian, the Ragozin offers a solid and dynamic alternative.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bf4
The ever-photogenic Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes
Javokhir Sindarov delivered the day’s most one-sided result, defeating Parham Maghsoodloo 2–0. Maghsoodloo, who had lost all his games during Monday’s round-robin stage, again struggled to convert promising positions. In their first encounter, he obtained a strong initiative, including the tactical idea 16.Bxf6, but later exchanged queens and allowed most of his advantage to disappear.
Sindarov outplayed him in the endgame and then won game two with white, maintaining stable control throughout the complex struggle.
Javokhir Sindarov continues to impress | Photo: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes
Vincent Keymer also advanced without the need for tiebreaks, beating Arjun Erigaisi 1½–½. After an initial draw, the second game turned in Keymer’s favour when Erigaisi misjudged a critical moment. Arjun had earlier needed to find 18…e5 to consolidate his position – when he later played the same pawn break under less favourable circumstances, it led to the loss of an exchange.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Invisible moves
Keymer, who noted he had been unwell the previous day, reported feeling improved.
In Freestyle Chess, players need to think from move 1 – Arjun Erigaisi and Vincent Keymer here getting ready to play their first confrontation | Photo: Freestyle Chess / Stev Bonhage
The remaining quarterfinal match – Levon Aronian versus Hans Niemann – was decided in blitz tiebreaks. Aronian selected Niemann as his opponent after Sindarov chose Maghsoodloo. The Armenian-born grandmaster remarked that he delegated the decision to his wife, though he added he would likely have chosen Niemann regardless.
The classical games were balanced and ended in draws, with both players missing tactical chances. Once the blitz portion began, the games became increasingly sharp, with both sides committing errors in severe time pressure. Aronian eventually prevailed 3–1 overall, winning both tiebreak games, and moves on to face Keymer in the semifinals.
Levon Aronian sharing notes with Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Freestyle Chess / Stev Bonhage
Max Euwe became the fifth World Chess Champion after beating Alexander Alekhine in the 1935 World Championship match. A maths teacher by profession, Euwe remained an amateur throughout his life, but was still the best chess player in the Netherlands, and one of the world’s best players. Euwe holds the record for the most Dutch national championships, with twelve. After winning the World Championship, Euwe was also the world’s best player for a while. He lost the title again in 1937 in the rematch against Alexander Alekhine.
Free video sample: Openings
Sindarov will play Carlsen in the other semifinal. All defeated players enter the lower bracket, where they will compete for fifth to eighth place and prize money ranging from $40,000 to $15,000. Although Carlsen has already secured the Tour bonus prize, the tournament title itself – and the $200,000 winner’s purse – remains undecided heading into day three.
All games
EXPAND YOUR CHESS HORIZONS
Data, plans, practice – the new Opening Report In ChessBase there are always attempts to show the typical plans of an opening variation. In the age of engines, chess is much more concrete than previously thought. But amateurs in particular love openings with clear plans, see the London System. In ChessBase ’26, three functions deal with the display of plans. The new opening report examines which piece moves or pawn advances are significant for each important variation. In the reference search you can now see on the board where the pieces usually go. If you start the new Monte Carlo analysis, the board also shows the most common figure paths.
