Featured is a Semi-Finals (lower bracket) clash between Magnus Carlsen and Arjun Erigaisi from the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas, held on July 19th, 2025. The start position for this 10+10 time control game is #122. There are no unprotected pawns at the start, and aside from a couple of cornered knights, the pieces are easily activated. If you tune in after the first 11 moves, you might mistake it for a standard English Opening. This game is a positional masterpiece by Carlsen that demonstrates how a well-placed knight with multiple central outposts can overwhelm a rook.
#MagnusCarlsen #ArjunErigaisi #FreestyleChess
Image of Magnus Carlsen by Lennart Ootes
lennartootes.com
I’m a self-taught National Master in chess out of Pennsylvania, USA who was introduced to the game by my father in 1988 at the age of 8. The purpose of this channel is to share my knowledge of chess to help others improve their game. I enjoy continuing to improve my understanding of this great game, albeit slowly. Consider subscribing here on YouTube for frequent content, and/or connecting via any or all the below social medias. Your support is greatly appreciated. Take care, bye. 🙂
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1. c4 c5 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 b5 4. d3 Nb6 5. cxb5 d5 6. Nc3 d4 7. Ne4 Bxb5 8. Nb3 Nb7 9. Na5 Nxa5 10. Bxa5 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. Nd2 Bg5 13. Rfd1 Nd5 14. Rc2 Ba4 15. b3 Bd7 16. Ne4 Be7 17. Rdc1 Qb5 18. Be1 f5 19. Nd2 Nc3 20. Rxc3 dxc3 21. Nc4 Bc6 22. Bxc3 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Qc6+ 24. f3 Bf6 25. Qb2 Qd5 26. Bxf6 Rxf6 27. Qe5 Rff8 28. Rc2 h6 29. h4 Rc6 30. h5 Qd4 31. b4 Re8 32. b5 Rcc8 33. a4 Re7 34. a5 Kf8 35. Rb2 Ra8 36. a6 Qxe5 37. Nxe5 Rc7 38. Nc6 Rac8 39. f4 Kf7 40. Ne5+ Kf6 41. b6 axb6 42. Rxb6 Ra8 43. Kf3 Ke7 44. g4 fxg4+ 45. Kxg4 Kf6 46. Rb7 Ra7 47. Rb6 Ra8 48. e4 Ke7 49. Kf3 Kf6 50. Nc6 Rd7 51. Rb7 Rxd3+ 52. Kg4 e5 53. fxe5+