Carlsen Conquers Paris

A New Era: Freestyle Chess Takes Center Stage

Forget memorized lines and home-prepared novelties. Freestyle Chess — also known as Chess960 or Fischer Random — throws opening theory out the window. With 960 possible starting positions, drawn anew before each round, players must rely not on preparation, but on instinct, creativity, and raw positional understanding.

While the variant was popularized by Bobby Fischer in the 1990s, it wasn’t until 2024 that Freestyle Chess truly found its stage. The Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, held in Gut Weißenhaus, Germany, brought together elite players in a classical-time-control format, far from the blitz and rapid events this variant had seen before. Organized by Jan Henric Buettner and co-created by Magnus Carlsen himself, the event was a success — and so began the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.

Paris hosted the second chapter of this ambitious series. And once again, Carlsen took the spotlight.

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The Final: Control, Precision, and One Very Professional Job

After winning the first game of the two-game final match, Carlsen entered the second with Black and a clear goal: simplify, exchange, neutralize. Nakamura tried to stir the waters, but Carlsen kept everything dry. The game drifted toward an equal rook endgame, and with it, the title.

“It was a very nice, professional job,” Carlsen commented after sealing the deal 1.5–0.5 — without needing a single tiebreak game throughout the entire knockout stage. The Norwegian walked away with a clean victory and a $200,000 prize.

For Nakamura, the runner-up spot earned him $140,000. “It’s always hard playing someone who’s content with a draw — and capable of getting it,” he said after the match.

Caruana Crushes Keymer, Books Ticket to Vegas

The battle for third was expected to be tight, but GM Fabiano Caruana had other plans. He won the first game convincingly and offered a draw in the second from a winning position. Keymer accepted, and the match ended 1.5–0.5 in Caruana’s favor.

With that, Caruana not only took home $100,000 but also secured qualification for the next Freestyle Grand Slam event in Las Vegas this July. As for Keymer — the surprise winner of the first leg in Weißenhaus — Paris didn’t go his way this time, but his creative potential in this format remains undeniable.

Erigaisi Endures, Nepomniachtchi Capitalizes

GM Arjun Erigaisi faced serious pressure from Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the match for fifth place. The Frenchman, needing a win, pushed hard, but Erigaisi held firm. A long, tense game ended in a draw, securing fifth place and $50,000 for the Indian rising star. MVL had to settle for sixth.

Meanwhile, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi claimed seventh place after defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov. In a curious twist, Abdusattorov resigned from a balanced position — likely recognizing that even a draw wouldn’t have helped him in the match. Nepomniachtchi took $30,000; Abdusattorov left empty-handed, though far from unimpressive.

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Final Standings – Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris 2025

1. Magnus Carlsen (Norway) – $200,000

2. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) – $140,000

3. Fabiano Caruana (USA) – $100,000

4. Vincent Keymer (Germany)

5. Arjun Erigaisi (India) – $50,000

6. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France)

7. Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) – $30,000

8. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan)

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What’s Next?

The next chapter in the series is just around the corner — the Grenke Freestyle Open, running from April 17 to 21. With players warming to this dynamic format and surprises waiting in every position, one thing’s clear: Freestyle Chess is no longer a novelty. It’s the future.

And right now, Magnus Carlsen owns it.