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Business Wire
03-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Freestyle Chess' Grand Slam Tour Will Make its U.S. Debut at Wynn Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Freestyle Chess, the innovative chess league co-founded by Magnus Carlsen and Jan Henric Buettner that prioritizes creativity over memorization, will bring their Grand Slam Tour to the United States for the first time this July. The event, hosted at Wynn Las Vegas, will kick off with 'Chesstival' on July 13, featuring current and former NBA players in a knockout-style chess tournament. Thanks to a partnership with $50,000 in total prize money will be donated to the charity of the winners' choice. The Grand Slam Tournament will follow from July 16 through July 20. 'Wynn Las Vegas offers an unparalleled stage to introduce Freestyle's high-energy, immersive format to the U.S. – not just as a game of strategy, but as a world-class spectator experience,' said Jan Henric Buettner, CEO and co-founder of Freestyle Chess. For the first time, chess fans can experience Freestyle Chess live, as the 2025 Grand Slam Tournament opens ticket sales to the public. Hosted in Wynn's 50,000-square-foot Lafite Ballroom, the event will bring the tour's dynamic energy to life with immersive production, live commentary, and storytelling. Fans can choose from three ticket tiers: general admission, VIP, and private booths with player meet-and-greets – designed to offer a world-class experience. Tickets start at $90 and are available for purchase here. 'I really believe Chesstival is one of the biggest paradigm shifts, along with Freestyle Chess, that the chess world has ever seen, and I think they're going to help grow the game,' said former NBA MVP and investor in Freestyle Chess, Derrick Rose. The event follows Freestyle Chess raising $20 million in funding from venture capital firms such as Left Lane Capital, as well as athletes like Derrick Rose to support the expansion of its operations and global footprint. The league features top-ranked players such as five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, reigning World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju, and former World Rapid Champion Hikaru Nakamura. Each Grand Slam Tournament event offers $750,000 in prize money, setting a new benchmark for chess as a global sport. The championship at the end of the tour will crown the first Freestyle Chess Champion, marking a historic milestone in the evolution of the game. Following the rules of Chess960 (Fischer Random), which randomizes starting positions, Freestyle Chess emphasizes creativity and strategy, leveling the playing field for even the world's best players. For more information, please visit the Freestyle Chess website here. About Freestyle Chess Freestyle Chess was founded in 2024 by Magnus Carlsen and Jan Henric Buettner, to revolutionize the game of chess. Capitalizing on the boom of interest in the sport, Freestyle Chess incorporates a unique style of gameplay featuring Fischer Random and follows the players' heart rates throughout the matches. Working to democratize the sport, matches are available for free online, and players participate in press conferences and post-match interviews, keeping the company's events exciting for all audiences. This year, Freestyle Chess kicked off its Grand Slam tournaments in Germany, France with upcoming stops in the United States and South Africa.
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First Post
02-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Gukesh doesn't miss while coming at 'King' Carlsen, justifies the 'world champion' tag with a performance of a lifetime
After losing to Magnus Carlsen earlier in Norway Chess, D Gukesh defeated the world No 1 on Sunday, fighting back from a near-impossible position with his never-say-die attitude to collect what arguably is the biggest win of his career so far. read more 'Obviously, becoming the world champion doesn't mean that I am the best player in the world. Obviously, there's Magnus'. Despite fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming the youngest world champion in chess history at the tender age of 18, breaking the record that had previously been set by the legendary Garry Kasparov, there was a part of Gukesh Dommaraju that wasn't satisfied yet. And though Gukesh was overcome with emotion after his hard-fought victory over China's Ding Liren in the best-of-14 series in December, he couldn't help but announce his next objective – to challenge and defeat Magnus Carlsen in Classical chess, the Norwegian Grandmaster who has been the world No 1 since 2011 and is considered one of the greatest of all time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That opportunity finally came knocking six months after his epic triumph over Ding, with Carlsen and Gukesh headlining the 13th edition of the Norway Chess in Stavanger. Gukesh had been having a largely underwhelming run in 2025; he began the year on a high with a runner-up finish at Tata Steel Chess but struggled to make an impact in the two Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour events that have taken place so far in Weissenhaus and Paris. Gukesh finally shows Carlsen what he's capable of His poor run in the Freestyle format appeared to have shaken his confidence in the Classical format as well, with the reigning world champion finishing second-from-bottom at the Superbet Classic in Romania, an event that was played in the Standard format. As for the ongoing tournament, Gukesh began his campaign with back-to-back defeats against Carlsen and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi, at which point Gukesh's critics were beginning to wonder if his World Championship triumph was something of a fluke or not. Gukesh, however, proved that even though he might still be a work in progress in Freestyle Chess as well as the faster Rapid and Blitz formats, he cannot be held down for too long in the Classical format. And soon enough, he bounced back with a victory over world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura in Round 3, followed by an Armageddon win against Fabiano Caruana after holding the American Grandmaster to a stalemate. And on Sunday, following a draw against Wei Yi, Gukesh found himself coming face to face with Carlsen for the second time in the ongoing event. The first time he had come face to face with the world No 1 in the Classical format since his victory over Ding, Gukesh did put up a spirited fight only to end up losing a thriller. What made his victory in his second meeting with the defending champion and home favourite even sweeter was the fact that Carlsen was actually bossing the game at one point despite playing with black pieces, and was staring at the prospect of completing a double against the Chennai lad, especially after a queen exchange that was initiated in the 27th move. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After a series of exchanges that left both players with their rooks and a knight at the end of the 40th move, Gukesh began chasing his opponent's king, which began to put Carlsen under pressure and slowly started turning the tide in his favour. And repeated checks from Gukesh eventually led to a blunder by Carlsen – in the 52nd move in which he chose to give the white king a check with his knight (Ne2+). Carlsen throws a fit after being made to eat his words And in the end, Carlsen had all of two pawns left on the board when Gukesh boxed him into a corner with his knight and king, eliciting a frustrated reaction from the former in the form of a bang on the table that resulted in the pieces getting knocked around, which was quickly followed by an apology and a pat on Gukesh's back. Much like his win in December, Gukesh refused to give up despite finding himself cornered, and it was his doggedness that helped him emerge triumphant. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It wasn't too long ago that Carlsen had put out a pompous statement after beating Gukesh. 'You come at the king, you best not miss,' is the line from the popular HBO series The Wire that the 34-year-old had said after his victory in Round 1. Gukesh, however, remained his humble self after pulling off what arguably is the biggest victory of his career so far. '99 out of 100 times I would lose. Just a lucky day,' Gukesh, who had a look of disbelief on his face after beating Carlsen, said on Sunday. The victory took Gukesh, who turned 19 just last week, to the third spot on the standings after six rounds, and he could very well be in the running for the top spot should he collect another Classical victory or two, including against compatriot Arjun later on Monday. The significance of Gukesh's latest performance, however, goes beyond the 2025 Norway Chess; for once, Carlsen and the rest of the chess world will finally acknowledge that the teenager does belong among chess' elite and that he is deserving of the tag of 'world champion'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And this might just make the rivalry between Gukesh and Carlsen, which was largely one-sided in the latter's favour until now, a lot spicier considering the Indian still has several years ahead of him.
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First Post
06-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Hans Niemann breaks silence on sudden exit from Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: ‘Usual suspects within chess mafia...'
Controversial American Grandmaster Niemann added that he intended to fulfill his obligation of undergoing a polygraph test after losing to Russian Grandmaster Daniil Dubov recently, adding that it was cancelled for 'logistical reasons'. read more American Grandmaster Hans Niemann was set to make his Freestyle Chess debut in the Paris Grand Slam last month, only to pull out without explanation on the eve of the event. AFP American Grandmaster Hans Niemann had staged a last-minute withdrawal from the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, where his face-off against world No 1 Magnus Carlsen was among the biggest talking points in the build-up to the event. Niemann, however, did not provide any explanation for his sudden withdrawal on the even of the tournament and his silence only served to fuel rumours. Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 claiming he was spooked by the heightened anti-cheating measures that were introduced for the second leg of the inaugural Grand Slam Tour. Freestyle Chess co-founder Jan Henric Buettner chose not to speculate over Niemann's withdrawal but confirmed the introduction of new anti-cheating measures. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Deeply frustrated by the organizers' and TV2's absurd speculation' Niemann, who had been accused of cheating by Carlsen in one of the biggest controversies in chess history, finally broke his silence on his Paris withdrawal on Monday. 'Now that some of the dust has settled, I want to address my withdrawal from Paris. I didn't immediately issue a public statement because, frankly, I was deeply frustrated by the organizers' and TV2's absurd speculation suggesting my decision was linked to what they dramatically called 'new, advanced anti-cheating measures,' world No 20 Niemann wrote on X. 'The article falsely claimed that the last message I received referenced 'enhanced measures.' To be absolutely clear—this is completely false. Unsurprisingly, the usual suspects within the chess mafia eagerly amplified this ridiculous narrative. At the time, I believed publicly responding would only legitimize accusations that have no basis in reality. 'I withdrew from the tournament strictly for personal reasons that I prefer not to disclose publicly right now. What's been particularly disappointing is witnessing how quickly some people jumped on this moment to perpetuate three years of baseless accusations against me. I genuinely wonder when they'll finally accept reality,' the 21-year-old, who has a FIDE Classical rating of 2736, added. Now that some of the dust has settled, I want to address my withdrawal from Paris. I didn't immediately issue a public statement because, frankly, I was deeply frustrated by the organizers' and TV2's absurd speculation suggesting my decision was linked to what they dramatically… — Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) May 5, 2025 Freestyle Chess organisers announced Uzbekistani GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov as Niemann's replacement after the latter's withdrawal. Carlsen would go on to win the Paris leg of the Grand Slam Tour after defeating world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura in a dream final, while India's Arjun Erigaisi impressed on Freestyle debut by finishing fifth. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | Niemann questions Nakamura using headphones during prize money tournaments Niemann, however, would make his Freestyle Chess debut at the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open last month, where he finished 33rd while Carlsen won the event with a perfect score of 9/9. Niemann was also in the news for his 18-game blitz face-off against Russian Grandmaster Daniil Dubov recently, in which the loser had to answer one question while undergoing a polygraph test, also known as a lie-detector test. Dubov defeated Niemann by a 9.5-8.5 scoreline in the match that took place right after the Aeroflot Open in the first week of March, only for the latter to perform a U-turn and back out from undergoing the test. In his post, Niemann added that the polygraph test was cancelled due to 'logistical reasons', adding that he will be undergoing the test 'very soon'. 'A quick note regarding the polygraph: the initial test was canceled for logistical reasons, but after traveling, I have now arranged to complete it very soon. I am taking this polygraph solely because it was a condition of the match—not because I have anything to prove. 'Every single official chess organization has repeatedly affirmed that attempts to question my legitimacy as a player are malicious, baseless, and entirely absurd. The only thing left for me to prove is that I can become the World Chess Champion,' Niemann further wrote in the post. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
