Freestyle Chess: Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana ends in draw; R Praggnanandhaa holds Richard Rapport in Paris

NEW DELHI: The first day of the semifinals at the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam witnessed intense battles across the board, with no decisive outcomes in the top matches.
In the highly anticipated clash between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, Caruana applied relentless pressure throughout the game, sacrificing a pawn to gain positional advantage.
However, despite his efforts to push for a win in the balanced endgame, the eternal rivals maintained an unbroken equilibrium, resulting in a hard-fought draw.
On the adjacent board, Hikaru Nakamura and Vincent Keymer engaged in a strategic opening phase before the position became sharp. Nakamura seized the initiative, while Keymer found himself in time trouble.
Nonetheless, the German defended tenaciously, preserving the balance. After the time control, Nakamura offered a draw, which Keymer accepted, leaving the match evenly poised.
Results after Semifinal Day 1:
Top Bracket:

5th Place Bracket:

9th Place Bracket:

In the 5th-place bracket, Ian Nepomniachtchi capitalised on his spatial advantage and powerful pawn structure to secure a victory against Arjun Erigaisi.
Nodirbek Abdusattorov also emerged victorious, defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in his trademark attacking style.
The first game in the match for 9th place between Richard Rapport and Praggnanandhaa ended in a draw.
With the first classical games concluded, the stage is set for the decisive second games on Saturday.
If the matches remain tied after the second games, tiebreaks and armageddon games will determine the winners.