In the fight for 3rd place — with qualification for the next Grand Slam event in Las Vegas on the line — Fabiano Caruana also scored an important win, defeating Vincent Keymer with Black.

It was a good day for the black pieces, with Arjun Erigaisi and Ian Nepomniachtchi both winning their games in the 5th and 7th place matches.

Before the games began, there was a challenge off the board. Sunday wasn’t just Freestyle day in Paris — it was also Marathon day. With 55,000 participants, the Paris Marathon is the fifth-largest in the world, and the streets around the city were packed from early morning. The Freestyle Chess shuttles left extra early to get the players to the Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy on time.

That wasn’t the end of the logistical challenges. A fire near the road leading to the venue — the very route the shuttles take — caused additional traffic disruptions shortly before the round. Despite everything, all players arrived on time.

Magnus Carlsen, his coach Peter Heine Nielsen, and tournament director Sebastian Siebrecht covered the final stretch on foot — and even had time to pause and watch a group playing frisbee near the venue. According to Siebrecht, Carlsen seemed quite occupied with frisbee strategy — right before facing Hikaru Nakamura in El Chessico.

Starting Position 103: A Familiar Look, But New Ideas

As always in Freestyle Chess, the day began with a new starting position — this time, position 103. Once again, the queens on a1 and a8 posed an early challenge: how to activate them and bring them into play?

While three players including Vincent Keymer chose the “English” 1.c4, it was Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who borrowed Keymer’s setup from the day before and played 1.d4, aiming for the 2.b3 and 3.c4 plan.

Carlsen had originally intended to follow a similar idea in a different move order. But he changed his mind. In the confession booth, he explained: “Hikaru is a great defender, so sacrificing a pawn early on doesn’t seem like an obvious stylistic choice… but once I saw b4, it was hard to resist!”

And so Carlsen went for 4.b4 — a sharp and ambitious try that shaped the game.

Carlsen Outgrinds Nakamura 

For a long time, Hikaru Nakamura defended stubbornly after an opening that had gone wrong. Carlsen pressed, the position was tense, and the commentators — including David Howell and Peter Leko — kept stressing how difficult it would be to avoid missteps and save the game for the American. On the other hand, breaking through wouldn’t be an easy task for Carlsen.

Psychology became part of the battle. Leko pointed out how Nakamura played 16…Qxc5 just after Carlsen had left the board: “So Magnus isn’t able to blitz out his reply!”

“Hikaru has to be ready for hours of torture,” Howell said. And for a while, with queens traded, it seemed possible that the American would hold the endgame a pawn down despite his king being caged in by Carlsen’s dominating knights on f6 and h6.

The super grandmasters in the pro stream, however, weren’t optimistic. Judit Polgar summed it up: “From a practical point of view, it’s zero chance against Magnus.” Leko added: “It would not be correct for chess if a position like this was holdable.”

However, Nakamura kept finding resources. And Carlsen lacked his trademark precision.

Then came move 35. Instead of capturing the h2-pawn — probably the most straightforward move in the position — Nakamura played 35…Ba2?, a move that turned out to be fatal. Carlsen grabbed a second pawn, and the rest was pure technique.

After the game, Carlsen admitted in his interview that the endgame hadn’t been perfect: “There was definitely a lot of relief — but mostly I just felt disgust with the way I’d played the last few moves.”

A win is a win. Carlsen leads 1-0.

Caruana Beats Keymer and Moves Closer to Vegas

For a long time in the 3rd place match, the game between Vincent Keymer and Fabiano Caruana was quite even, not balanced though. Keymer had given a pawn for the better structure and some pressure.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have insisted on winning the pawn back when the opportunity arose. From then on, it was materially equal, but Caruana enjoyed the more pleasant play due to the activity of his pair of bishops. With time getting low for both players, it was Keymer who missed an only move to stay in the game (33.Qa1). Soon after, he found himself in an endgame with 3 vs 2 pawns, but down a piece.

Still, it wasn’t over. Until move 57, Caruana hardly made progress. Then, without any real necessity, Keymer forced matters in an attempt to liquidate into a draw, a plan doomed to fail. “Committal,” Tania Sachdev commented. David Howell mentioned the 20-year old’s “inexperience” — and found a very good reason for Keymer’s impulsive push: “Doing nothing is the most difficult thing in chess.”

Nine moves later, it was over. With black’s heavy pieces coming for the white king and the engine announcing mate in 18, Keymer resigned.

In his post-game interview, Caruana was relaxed but focused: “It’s kind of the reverse of our Weissenhaus match. Back then, Vincent had to draw with Black. Now I have to draw with White. Hopefully I’ll manage to do that. If not, I’ll be a little embarrassed.”

Caruana leads 1-0.

Arjun and Nepo Lead the Placement Matches

Arjun Erigaisi continued his good tournament, defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with black to lead the 5th place match.

For Arjun, playing for 5th instead of 1st was slightly disappointing. Still, he appreciated the opportunity. “It’s good practice for other Freestyle tournaments,” he said after the game. “And it’s also just fun to play.”

In the 7th place match, Ian Nepomniachtchi, not satisfied with his play so far, went all out. Asked about his chaotic game against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, he said: “First of all, I just wanted the game to finish as quickly as possible!”

This is how Fabiano Caruana described it: “Ian’s game was completely nuts. I almost couldn’t help but laugh when I saw 14…f4 appear on the board. It felt like he was just sacrificing everything.”

However, Nepomniachtchi created play, and eventually caught Nodirbek in a beautiful mating net with queen and bishop.

Off the Board: Rapport in the Louvre, Vidit on Honeymoon

While the action continued in the tournament hall, Richard Rapport spent his day after losing the 9^th place match against Praggnanandhaa visiting the Louvre. In a social media post, he praised the tournament: “Everything is perfectly organized… I’m glad they’ve decided to invest in Chess960. Exciting times ahead!”

Vidit Gujarathi, meanwhile, is almost on his way to Weissenhaus — this time not to play chess. The former Freestyle competitor, shared 11^th in Paris, will be spending a part of his honeymoon with his wife Nidhi in Germany. Vidit had invited organizer Jan Henric Buettner to his wedding in India right before the tournament. Buettner had to decline but returned the favour by inviting Vidit to spend the honeymoon days after the Grand Slam in his five-star resort.

The upcoming grenke Freestyle Chess Festival in Karlsruhe, Germany, is already casting its shadow over Paris. From April 17 to 21, organizers Sven Noppes and Christian Bossert will welcome not twelve, but more than 3,000 chess players — including several world-class grandmasters in the Freestyle A Open. On Sunday, the two paid a visit to Paris to get a feel for the Grand Slam atmosphere ahead of their own event.

Alongside the Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy, Freestyle Chess has created a second hub in Paris: Blitz Society, the city’s only chess bar. Located in the Saint-Germain district, it’s the place for public viewing of the Grand Slam — and for fast-paced blitz games in a relaxed, jazz-filled atmosphere. Regular guest Levon Aronian often joins the action, playing casually with locals and members of the organizing team. Just like on the tournament boards, it’s Freestyle spirit off the board — open, creative, and for everyone.