Levon Aronian Crowned Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Champion in Las Vegas, Wins $200,000 First Prize

LAS VEGAS —  Grandmaster Levon Aronian has emerged victorious at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour held in Las Vegas, earning a $200,000 prize. In Sunday’s final, Aronian defeated Hans Niemann with a score of 1.5–0.5. In the first game, playing with the black pieces, Aronian successfully navigated a complex endgame. In the second game, he secured a confident win with true mastery.

Hans Niemann earned $140,000 for second place finish.

The Armenian chess player defeated one of the world’s strongest grandmasters, Arjun Erigaisi, with a 2:0 score in the semifinals.

In the quarterfinals, Aronian had beaten the world’s No. 2 ranked player on the FIDE rating list, American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura.

Magnus Carlsen, unable to overcome the challenges of the group stage and relegated to the lower bracket playoffs, secured third place after defeating Hikaru Nakamura and earned $100,000.

Levon Aronian competes under the U.S. flag.