Magnus Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa in Same Group for Las Vegas Freestyle Chess

Las Vegas (USA), Jul 16 (PTI) R Praggnanandhaa has been placed alongside Magnus Carlsen in the same group, while Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi have been positioned together in the other pool for the upcoming 16-player Freestyle chess tournament in Las Vegas. World number one Magnus Carlsen is set to start as the favorite in this edition, which features numerous pre-event activities, including NBA player participation. The tournament begins late on Wednesday. The total prize pool for the event is USD 750,000, with USD 200,000 reserved for the champion. Each group comprises eight players, and the top four will advance to the next stage, while the bottom half competes against one another. World champion D Gukesh will not participate, as he prepares for the main event of the Grandmaster tour next month. The 19-year-old Praggnanandhaa will kick off his campaign against Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan, who struggled in the previous Grand Chess tour edition in Zagreb, Croatia. Carlsen is set to play Vincent Keymer of Germany, the winner of the first edition, in his opening round. American Hans Niemann will mark his first appearance in the Freestyle chess tournament against Erigaisi in the opener. Gujrathi is matched against Fabiano Caruana of the United States. Notably, Bibisara Assaubuyeva from Kazakhstan, the first woman player in the lineup, will compete against the world elite. Freestyle chess is a new name for Fischer random chess or Chess 960, where the starting positions of the pieces are randomly altered. The format, with its lack of heavy theoretical baggage, is gaining traction as it often results in dynamic and competitive games right from the outset.