Norwegian chess legend Magnus Carlsen faced an unprecedented challenge this month — playing a single freestyle chess game against over 143,000 people around the globe. Billed as “Magnus Carlsen vs The World,” the match was hosted by Chess.com, and ran from April 4 to May 13. It was the first-ever online freestyle game to feature…
Magnus Carlsen (Pic credit: X) World number one Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris, sealing the title in dominant fashion on Monday. Carlsen defeated Hikaru Nakamura 1.5–0.5 in the final, winning the first game and drawing the second to claim the crown without needing a tiebreak.“It felt like I…
D Gukesh (Photo Credits: Lennart Ootes / Freestyle Chess) NEW DELHI: The preliminary phase of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, hosted in Paris, concluded its eleven-round competition on Tuesday. This stage saw twelve contenders vying for eight available positions in the subsequent knockout phase. The competition was fierce, and the results were closely contested.Ian Nepomniachtchi…
Hans Niemann (Agency Photo) NEW DELHI: In the late 16th century, France switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, moving New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Those who clung to the old date were mocked as “April fools”, while others began playing pranks on them. It soon became a tradition.Theories on…
D Gukesh (Photo Credits: Lennart Ootes / Freestyle Chess) NEW DELHI: A rocky start dampened D Gukesh‘s spirit in the opening leg of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, with the youngest-ever world chess champion struggling to match the pace of the unique format last February.From his first experience on tour, the 18-year-old managed…
NEW DELHI: New Delhi is likely to host the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 from October 31 to November 27, marking the tournament’s return to Indian soil after nearly 23 years.India last hosted the FIDE World Cup in 2002 in Hyderabad, where chess legend Viswanathan Anand clinched the title.TimesofIndia.com understands that New Delhi is favoured…
Magnus Carlsen (Photo Credit: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes) NEW DELHI: In his column for The Economist last January, Magnus Carlsen, a five-time World Chess champion and the current World No. 1, penned, “As the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour begins, I look forward not only to competing but to witnessing how this format reshapes…
World Champion D Gukesh advanced to the knockout stage of the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour‘s first event despite losing to Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the final qualifying round. Gukesh finished with 3.5 points, securing seven draws and two losses without a single victory.The ten-player tournament featured modified initial piece positions, making it one of…
D Gukesh (Credit: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes) NEW DELHI: The 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam kicked off at Weissenhaus on Germany’s Baltic coast, with Chess960 taking centre stage on Friday. The tournament, featuring top grandmasters, serves as a preliminary rapid event to determine the eight players advancing to the knockout phase.Indian GM D Gukesh,…
Viswanathan Anand (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Chess legend Viswanathan Anand’s unexpected withdrawal from the upcoming Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour has undoubtedly raised eyebrows across the global chess community.Initially scheduled to take part in the season-opening event in Germany, Anand’s decision to pull out has sparked questions, especially amid the tensions between FIDE, the global…