Surpassing Niemann, Aronian wins Freestyle Chess Grand Slam

In the first game of the final, although Niemann held the white pieces and at times held the winning advantage in the endgame, the American player failed to see the decisive move, allowing Aronian to regretfully draw.

Right after the game, Aronian himself pointed out the winning move to Niemann, making the player who was suspected of cheating surprised and regretful.

In the second game, Aronian held the white pieces and gained an early advantage in the middle game. In contrast to his opponent, he took full advantage of that advantage to win convincingly in just 37 moves, ending the match with a score of 1.5-0.5 without the need for a tie-break.

The third-place match also took place with a similar dramatic scenario. Lightning God Hikaru Nakamura with the black pieces dominated the middle game in the first game but could not capitalize on it and had to accept a draw with Magnus Carlsen.

In the second game, although Carlsen held the black pieces, he gained the upper hand from the fifth move. Unlike Nakamura, the Norwegian player did not miss the opportunity, turning the game into victory after only 37 moves.

Notably, before defeating Hans Niemann to win the championship, Aronian had won against the world's most famous names such as Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Arjun Erigaisi - players who are all in the world's top 5. Aronian's performance at the tournament showed that his experience and bravery are still formidable factors.

This result is really a big surprise because in the last time participating in the tournament in Germany in February 2025, Aronian ranked last in the table and was eliminated early.

With the championship in hand, Levon Aronian received $200,000, his opponent Hans Niemann received $140,000. Meanwhile, Carlsen won $100,000 for third place and Nakamura ranked fourth with $60,000.