Levon Aronian won the $200,000 first prize at the Freestyle Grand Slam in Las Vegas, defeating top players including Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura. At 42, he achieved a notable career milestone. Carlsen finished third and faced criticism after errors led to his defeat, including a critical collapse against Wesley So. Hans Niemann, who made a controversial return to the scene, joined commentary and highlighted his improved performance. Although Niemann lost to Aronian in the final, he showed promise by defeating US champion Fabiano Caruana in earlier rounds.
Levon Aronian, at 42 the oldest in the tournament, scored what he described as one of the crown jewels of his career to win the $200,000 first prize at the Las Vegas leg of the Freestyle Grand Slam last weekend.
Carlsen had to settle for the third prize of $100,000, along with the further indignity of finishing behind his arch enemy Hans Niemann, whose game with the Norwegian at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup led to allegations of cheating.
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