| 2025 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Chess960 |
| Dates | February 7–December 12, 2025 |
| Host(s) | Wangels, Germany Paris, France New York City, United States Delhi, India Cape Town, South Africa |
The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour is a series of Chess960 tournaments in 2025 organized by Freestyle Chess Operations. It will consist of five "Grand Slam" tournaments following the format of the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, held in 2024. Players will score points based on placement in each event. The player with the highest score at the end of the year will become the Freestyle Chess World Champion.[1]
The tour was co-founded by five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen and German investor Jan Henric Buettner.[2][3][4] Carlsen has been an advocate for Chess960 as an alternative to classical chess that eliminates opening preparation and theory.[5][6][7] In July 2024, Left Lane Capital invested $12 million in the venture.[8][9][10]
- ^ "Freestyle Chess World Championship Regulations" (PDF).
- ^ "$12 million for Freestyle Chess". ChessTech News. 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- ^ Soufi, Daniel (2025-01-04). "El mecenas que se ha aliado con Magnus Carlsen para cambiar la historia del ajedrez". Cinco Días (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- ^ Barden, Leonard (2024-03-22). "Richest chess tour announced for 2025 as freestyle wins global appeal". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- ^ Robinson, Joshua; Beaton, Andrew (2024-11-20). "The Greatest Chess Player of All Time Is Bored With Chess". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-11-20. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- ^ Lozo, ByDave. "Chess is about to get a lot more unpredictable". Morning Brew. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- ^ Barden, Leonard (2024-03-18). "Chess: Carlsen and Buettner announce Freestyle Chess Tour for top players". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- ^ "Chess legend Magnus Carlsen, investor Jan Henric Buettner, VC Left Lane Capital, launch new company to revolutionize professional chess". PR Newswire. 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- ^ Agini, Samuel (2024-12-25). "Chess champion Magnus Carlsen leads gambit to capture ancient game". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- ^ Doggers, Peter (2024-07-25). "$12 million Raised For 'Revolutionary' Freestyle Series Of Tournaments". Chess.com. Retrieved 2025-01-09.