Armenian Grandmaster Levon Aronian delivered a commanding performance by defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a two-game blitz tiebreak match at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, held at the five-star Wynn Resort in Las Vegas.
The 2–0 victory advanced Aronian to the quarterfinals and kept him in contention for the tournament’s $200,000 first-place prize. Carlsen, now relegated to the lower bracket, is eligible only for a third-place finish at best.
This result marks a pivotal moment in Aronian’s long-standing rivalry with Carlsen and reaffirms his place among the elite of modern chess. The match unfolded during the group stage of a dramatic tournament that featured a 10+10 blitz round-robin format with 16 elite players. The total prize pool stands at $750,000, with $200,000 awarded to the winner, $140,000 for second place, and $100,000 for third.
While the event has also featured standout performances, controversial moments, and intense qualification battles, Aronian’s clean sweep of Carlsen remains one of the most defining moments of the competition so far.
