In the first game of the final, Niemann, playing white, held a winning advantage in the endgame. However, he missed the decisive move, allowing Aronian to secure a draw. Immediately after the game, the Armenian-American grandmaster pointed out the winning move to Niemann, leaving his younger opponent surprised and regretful.
Playing white in the second game, Aronian gained a material advantage in the middlegame. He converted this advantage into a victory in 37 moves, winning the match 1.5-0.5 without the need for a tie-break. The championship earned the 42-year-old $200,000 USD, while Niemann received $140,000 USD.
 |
Levon Aronian with his wife Anita Ayvazyan and 3-year-old daughter Zabelle alongside the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam trophy in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on the evening of 20/7/2025. Photo: Freestyle Chess/Lennart Ootes |
The third-place match followed a similar script. Hikaru Nakamura, playing black, gained a winning advantage in the middlegame of the first game but failed to capitalize, resulting in a draw against Carlsen.
In the second game, Carlsen, playing black, secured an advantage as early as move five. Unlike the Japanese-American grandmaster, the Norwegian converted his advantage into a victory after 37 moves, claiming the $100,000 USD prize. Nakamura finished fourth, earning $60,000 USD.
En route to the final, Aronian overcame several strong opponents, including Carlsen, Nakamura, Arjun Erigaisi, and Niemann. This result was a major surprise, given that in his most recent tournament appearance at Weissenhaus, Germany, in 2/2025, Aronian finished last and was eliminated early.
Born on 6/10/1982 in Armenia, Aronian switched to representing the USA in 2021. His peak Elo rating is 2,830, the fourth highest of all time, behind Carlsen (2,882), Garry Kasparov (2,851), and Fabiano Caruana (2,844). He also reached the world number two ranking behind Carlsen in 2012. The 42-year-old is a two-time World Cup champion (2005 and 2017) and helped Armenia win three gold medals at the Chess Olympiad in 2006, 2008, and 2012.
Xuan Binh
