Las Vegas Freestyle will take place July 16–20, 2025, at the Wynn Las Vegas, specifically in the 50,000-square-foot Lafite Ballroom. It’s the third leg of the 2025 tour – after Paris Freestyle and Grenke Freestyle – and the first Freestyle Chess event in the U.S. open to live spectators. It features 16 top grandmasters in a five-day event with a group stage (round-robin, 10+10 time control) followed by a double-elimination knockout (30+30 for key stages). The prize fund is $750,000, contributing to the tour’s points system to crown the first Freestyle Chess Champion in Cape Town.
Las Vegas features Magnus Carlsen (Norway, calendar), Hikaru Nakamura (USA, calendar), Fabiano Caruana (USA, calendar), Arjun Erigaisi (India, calendar), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan, calendar), Leinier Dominguez (USA, calendar), Vincent Keymer (Germany, calendar), Ian Nepomniachtchi (FID, calendar), Levon Aronian (USA, calendar), Wesley So (USA, calendar), Praham Maghsoodloo (Iran, calendar), Praggnanandhaa R (India, calendar), Hans Niemann (USA, calendar), Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan, calendar), Vidit Gujrathi (India, calendar), and Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan, calendar)
Hans Niemann did not show up at Freestyle Paris but is geared up to do well in Freestyle Las Vegas 2025. As a warm up, Niemann has just won the Freestyle Friday event with 10,0/11. He finished a full point ahead of Ihor Samunenkov, and 1,5 points ahead of Tuan Minh Le. Niemann was happy, “1st in Freestyle Friday, great warmup for Vegas!”
Las Vegas Freestyle Chess 2025 timeline
22.04.2025 Parham Maghsoodloo gets the ticket to Las Vegas Freestyle Chess 2025
24.04.2025 Full list of participants
11.07.2025 Hans Niemann wins Freestyle Friday ahead of Las Vegas
12.07.2025 Ray Robson substitutes Parham Maghsoodloo for Las Vegas Freestyle Chess 2025
12.07.2025 Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Live
13.07.2025 Samuel Sevian replaces Nepomniachtchi for Las Vegas Freestyle Chess 2025
