In the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, where every moment is high stakes, the game of kings takes center stage. Experience world-class chess, unforgettable showdowns, and the thrill of Freestyle play in the entertainment capital of the world.
Grenke Freestyle Chess Open 2025 – Day Two
Fourteen Players Remain Perfect After Three Rounds
Carlsen, Rapport, and surprise contender Druska among the leaders as upsets shake the standings in Karlsruhe
After three rounds at the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open in Karlsruhe, 14 players have a perfect score of 3 points. Among them are Magnus Carlsen, Richard Rapport — and Slovak International Master Juraj Druska, the only IM among the leaders. Druska overcame Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in Round 2 and continued his strong run by defeating Murali Karthikeyan in Round 3.
The 14 leaders are followed by a group of 30 players with 2.5 points, including Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, Alexander Grischuk, Hans Niemann, and Fabiano Caruana.
Access YouTube content below (shares data with third parties).
The round 3 livestream.
The top pairings for Round 4 are:
- Etienne Bacrot – Magnus Carlsen
- Richard Rapport – Leon Luke Mendonca
- Dmitrij Kollars – Yu Yangyi
- Javokhir Sindarov – Pranesh M
- Victor Mikhalevski – Jorden van Foreest
- Alexey Sarana – Jan Smeets
- Rauf Mamedov – Juraj Druska
Access YouTube content below (shares data with third parties).
A drone flight and further impressions from day 2.
Upsets and Twists
Among the most notable results of the day was Leon Luke Mendonca’s victory over Ian Nepomniachtchi. Playing with the white pieces, Mendonca seized the initiative early and never allowed the world number nine to recover. Another of the early surprises came when Maciej Klekowski defeated world number eleven Aravindh Chithambaram, finding a double rook sacrifice in a complicated middlegame.
A double rook sacrifice and Maciej Klekowski takes down world no. 11 Aravindh! pic.twitter.com/dLxD7TqWVa
— chess24 (@chess24com) April 18, 2025
Not all dramatic shifts ended with an upset. In the second round, Bibisara Assaubayeva had Fabiano Caruana under serious pressure but failed to convert a winning position deep into the endgame. Magnus Carlsen, meanwhile, was tested by 15-year-old Vaclav Finek.
Quite a scare for Fabiano Caruana against Bibisara Assaubayeva. | Foto: Stev Bonhage/Freestyle Chess
Notable round 3 results included Etienne Bacrot turning the tables on Caruana after a difficult opening, Pranesh M maintaining his perfect score against Ray Robson, and Magnus Carlsen recovering from a dangerous position against Nils Grandelius. Hans Niemann and Rasmus Svane played a turbulent game that ended in a draw, while Dmitrij Kollars and Thal Abergel both added unexpected victories against Wesley So and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov respectively.
See the gallery on day two with Stev Bonhage‘s pictures.
