Magnus Carlsen to face Fabiano Caruana in Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour
Magnus Carlsen’s highly anticipated Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour was officially announced on Wednesday in Singapore, with Delhi confirmed as one of the five major host cities for its inaugural edition.
Carlsen has partnered with German entrepreneur Jan Henric Buettner to launch the exclusive tour, which kicks off in Weissenhaus, Germany, from February 7–14, 2025.
The tour will span five countries, with tournaments in Germany, India, France (Paris), the USA (New York), and South Africa (Cape Town). The prize pool for the Delhi leg is expected to be $500,000 – $1,000,000.
What is Freestyle Chess?
Freestyle Chess, also known as Chess960, is a chess variant invented by former World Champion Bobby Fischer in 1996. It features randomised back-rank piece setups, eliminating reliance on traditional opening theory and encouraging creativity.
This format has grown in popularity, particularly after an invitational event at the Weissenhaus Luxury Resort, the venue for the 2022 G7 Foreign Ministers’ Summit.
While the International Chess Federation (FIDE) organised world championships in 2019 and 2022 – they were played in rapid time control while the Freestyle chess tournaments will be played in standard time control.
Carlsen, a strong advocate for the format, views it as a refreshing alternative to classical chess.
“I’m very excited about the future of freestyle. The idea itself of sitting down at the chessboard and thinking for a long time does not bore me — that’s not the reason why I’m not into standard and classical chess so much. It’s more about the preparation and the difficulty of actually getting inside the game,” he said in Kolkata after winning the rapid section of the Tata Steel Chess India.
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“But when you play freestyle, you’re guaranteed that because there’s no opening theory. So we’ve got a lot of tournaments coming up next year. I am playing Fabiano Caruana in Singapore as an exhibition match, so hopefully, that will be fun. Overall, I believe, not only for myself but also for other top players, it is a format that everyone is excited about,” Carlsen added.
Exhibition Matches and Future Plans
Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana will play a two-game Chess960 exhibition match in Singapore to promote the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025, with a time control of 60 minutes per game and a 30-second increment per move. An additional hand-and-brain game, featuring GM Maurice Ashley and IM Tania Sachdev, preceded the main match, with Tania teaming up with Carlsen to secure victory.
Buettner, inspired by iconic sports events like Formula 1 and tennis, envisions making the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam commercially successful.
“My goal is to create a platform as impactful as the ATP for tennis or the PGA for golf, with players at the centre of our efforts,” he said in March.