Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 Weissenhaus LIVE Updates: After a mixed start on Day 1 that included four draws and a loss in five rounds, reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju will be hoping to collect his first victory on the second day at the Weissenhaus Private Luxury Nature Resort in Northern Germany and seal his qualification for the knockouts.

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.

World Champion D Gukesh began his campaign at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour with three draws and a lone loss, signalling that he is gradually coming to terms with the new format.

D Gukesh drew four and lost one of his five games on the opening day of the Freestyle Chess Grand Tour in Weissenhauss, Germany

World champion D Gukesh made a steady start at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, adapting to the unique format amid rising tensions between FIDE and organisers, while Magnus Carlsen and other top players experience mixed fortunes.

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.

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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.