Highlights from Day 2 of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 Paris: Nepomniachtchi Takes Top Spot, Carlsen Slips to Second

The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 in Paris continued to deliver excitement on Day 2 as the top players battled it out for a spot in the knockout stage. Round 11 saw some thrilling matches, with Ian Nepomniachtchi claiming the top spot after a clinical win over Gukesh. Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen was held to a draw by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, slipping to second place on the leaderboard.

Hikaru Nakamura bounced back strongly with a win over Richard Rapport, while Vincent Keymer and Praggnanandhaa also impressed with victories over Fabiano Caruana and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, respectively. Arjun Erigaisi capped off the round by beating Vidit Gujrathi.

The day was not without its surprises, as reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju was knocked out of the tournament after a disappointing performance, finishing 11th with just 3.5 points. In contrast, Arjun Erigaisi emerged as the lone Indian to progress to the knockout stage with 6.5 points.

Magnus Carlsen continued his dominance, finishing the day unbeaten and joint-top of the leaderboard with 8.5 points. With the knockout stage looming, the competition is heating up as players vie for a shot at the $750,000 prize pool and valuable Grand Slam points. Stay tuned for more updates as the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris unfolds.