2026 Grenke Freestyle Chess Open: Official Discussion Thread

The 2026 Grenke Freestyle Chess Open takes place April 2-6, featuring a €285,000 prize fund.

The field in Karlsruhe is led by defending champion Magnus Carlsen, who returns after his perfect 9/9 run in 2025, with Vincent Keymer and Nodirbek Abdusattorov among the top stars joining him.

Beyond the prize money, this edition carries extra weight: for the first time, the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open serves as an official qualifier for the next FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship.

The qualification impact extends further, with the top three women in the open field also earning places in the next Women's FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship.

Watch the live broadcast on our ChessTV, Twitch and YouTube channels.
Find all relevant links and event info below, and use the comments for discussion.

• Events Page - Official event info, pairings, standings, and games.

• Official Regulations - Full tournament rules, sections, and prize distribution.

• Previous Edition - 2025 Grenke Freestyle Chess Open reference and results.

• Prize Fund - €285,000

• Time Control - 90 min + 30 sec increment per move

• Format - 9-round Swiss

• Date - April 2 to April 6

• Featured Players - GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Vincent Keymer, GM Levon Aronian, GM Hans Niemann, GM Artur Yusupov, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, GM Mariya Muzychuk, GM Elisabeth Paehtz

• Location - Karlsruhe, Germany

hahaha, so true!

Hi

I believe we won’t be having one for this event, but there’ll be a new prediction on April I just don’t recall the specific event yet. :)

Everything should go on as expected.

Gonna be there in person!

Y

Well, there are better players here than the candidates such as Magnus and Vincent

Hmm

Good

Chalenge me

Okay

I will watch just because Magnus is playing

Hello

Thanks for your help

Thanks for your help bro

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