Freestyle Chess Tour's India-leg cancelled amidst lack of sponsors, CEO confirms
The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, which was supposed to have its fifth event in Delhi in September, later this year has been cancelled due to the lack of sponsors. The co-founder, Jan Henric Buettner, confirmed the news to Chess.com after speculation over the event's status following the removal of the Delhi leg from the official website.This event was supposed to be their fifth event of the inaugural Grand Slam, after posting successful shows in Weissenhaus, Paris, and Karlsruhe. Presently, GM Magnus Carlsen holds the lead at the top with 65 points after winning two events.advertisementCarlsen will be headlining the next event, which is set to be held in Las Vegas on July 16-20, later next month. He was recently seen in action against the nine-year-old Aarit Kapil from Delhi, who had come close to beating the current top-ranked player.
When asked if there may be a possible replacement, Buettner provided a cryptic response and suggested that there could be something done, but the announcement has yet to be made."Yes and no," he was quoted as saying by Chess.com."We will do something special for the September leg of the tour instead. This will be announced after Las Vegas," he added.Buettner also revealed that he is planning on stepping down from his role as CEO. In a previous interview, he had revealed how he wants to take up a more executive role instead. Now he is set to end his tenure as CEO on July 1.advertisement"I hope I get out of it! I want it to be implemented in a perfect way. I am giving everything, so when all my visions in my head are implemented, then I can have a more executive role," he said.WHAT'S NEXT FOR INDIA'S CHESS STARS?With the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour now cancelled, the next home event for India's top chess stars will be the Chennai Grand Masters, starting August 6, where the tournament comprises a 10-man round-robin format with GMs like Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, Anish Giri, Vincent Keymer, amongst many others set to compete.- Ends
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