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 the future of chess.”
It is closer to one week since Freestyle Chess returned to the shores of Weissenhaus, Germany with its inaugural edition of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. In what was expected to be the epitome of some jaw-dropping encounters, the tournament has already lived up to the expectations, producing some fascinating contests and subsequent upsets.
But what was the need to introduce Freestyle Chess as a different entity when the players were already muddled with other forms?
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The brainchild of Jan Henric Buettner — a German tech entrepreneur turned chess enthusiast — Freestyle Chess was born out of a desire to create a more exciting and engaging form of the game.
“I fell asleep because I was thinking it was so boring to watch two people play chess,” Buettner, recalling his first few experiences of watching classical chess tournaments, tells TimesofIndia.com.
Inspired by the thrill of Formula 1, he sought to inject the same excitement into chess. The missing piece? The greatest chess player of all time, Magnus Carlsen.
Buettner’s journey into the chess world was unconventional. After decades in mobile technology, venture capital, and luxury hospitality, he found himself rekindling a childhood passion for chess.
A chance meeting with German Grandmaster Niclas Huschenbeth in July 2023 set things in motion. Huschenbeth suggested hosting a tournament at Buettner’s meticulously restored Weissenhaus estate.
But Buettner wanted more than just another event as he envisioned a revolution in the realm of chess.
In October 2023, he travelled to Qatar to meet Carlsen. “If I can design my perfect tournament, I would play Fischer Random 960 on the highest level with normal thinking time against the best players in the world,” Carlsen told him.
The concept of Fischer Random — where the starting positions on the back rank are randomised — intrigued Buettner, but he knew it needed a more marketable name. Thus, Freestyle Chess was born.
“He explained to me how it works and I was excited. He explained that you have a lot more faster games and more fun games. Starting from the beginning, you can forget about the opening theories and so on. I thought it was a great idea,” Buettner reveals.
Carlsen’s role was integral in shaping the tournament format, handpicking the world’s best players, including Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Ding Liren in its inaugural edition last year.
Notably, Hikaru Nakamura declined an invitation, focusing on preparation for the Candidates Tournament instead.
Ironically, his replacement, India’s D Gukesh, went on to win the Candidates and later became the youngest-ever World Chess champion with a win over Ding Liren in Singapore, adding a twist to the narrative. “It’s a funny twist of the story,” Buettner adds.
Freestyle Chess has since evolved into a structured global tour. “We are doing six tournaments a year,” Buettner explains, ensuring it integrates smoothly into the elite chess calendar.
A Grand Slam-style point system, again following the F1 structure, determines the overall champion, culminating in a final showdown in South Africa.
“At the end of five tournaments, the 12 players with the most points will compete in the Grand Slam final. The player with the highest points will be crowned champion,” the German explains.
Beyond the elite circuit, Freestyle Chess is expanding its reach with open qualification tournaments on Chess.com, allowing ambitious players worldwide a chance to break into the professional scene. Weekly “Freestyle Fridays” for titled players further promote the format.
With Carlsen’s endorsement and Buettner’s vision, Freestyle Chess could well find a permanent place in the chess world.
While will it challenge classical chess’s dominance remains to be seen, Carlsen’s fantasy of “perfect tournament” is now a reality.
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