Magnus Carlsen has revealed the reason why he loves the freestyle chess format. Carlsen was speaking on the sidelines of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, which he co-founded with Jan Henric Buettner in March 2024.

World Champion D Gukesh lost to Magnus Carlsen in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, finishing eighth but qualifying for the knockout stage. Despite two losses and seven draws, Gukesh will face Fabiano Caruana in the quarterfinals,

D Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen are currently participating at the first leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour.

Carlsen, the world’s highest-rated chess player since 2010, will take a seat in Weissenhaus, Germany, to compete in freestyle chess, previously known as Chess960 and Fischer Random. The starting position of the back row pieces is randomized, removing a top grandmaster’s lifetime of memorization and theory on how to open a chess game.

D Gukesh ends the Round Robin stage in Weissenhaus without a single victory, suffering a 46-move loss against Magnus Carlsen in the final round to finish with 3.5 points courtesy seven draws and two losses.

Despite a winless run in the Freestyle Grand Slam qualifiers, D Gukesh secured a knockout berth, showing resilience in a star-studded field that saw Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, and others battle for supremacy.

Magnus Carlsen, a 34-year-old Norwegian, is among the greatest chess players of all time.

Classical World Champion D. Gukesh lost to World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the last round of the round-robin stage at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour on Sunday.

This isn't just another chess tournament though, with a public spat between Carlsen and the promoters of the FCGT with FIDE in the build-up to the tournament.

Magnus Carlsen questioned the validity of classical chess as a measure of skill, favoring rapid chess. Gukesh acknowledged the quality of their championship match, while Carlsen ruled out a title clash.