Magnus Carlsen Rules Out Playing FIDE Events As Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Begins

GM Magnus Carlsen rules out any cooperation with FIDE and its current administration but insists he is not trying to take down classical chess with his new Freestyle Chess project.

The $750,000 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Weissenhaus will start with a bang at 7 a.m. ET / 1 p.m. CET today, with Carlsen facing world number-two GM Hikaru Nakamura in the first round, and world champion GM Gukesh Dommaraju facing GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

In an interview with ChessBase India, Carlsen highlighted Gukesh as the player he most looks forward to facing. That matchup will take place in the final round on Saturday and could be key in determining the seedings in the knockout.

The #FreestyleChess Grand Slam Tour starts today in Weissenhaus, with Abdusattorov-Gukesh & Carlsen-Nakamura in Round 1! (7am ET/13:00 CET/5:30pm IST)

Full pairings: https://t.co/bpDqQz5J5X pic.twitter.com/FzVEp7x8PC

— chess24 (@chess24com) February 7, 2025

The launch of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam has been accompanied by a feud between co-founders Jan Henric Buettner and Carlsen and the world-governing chess body, FIDE. The standoff reached a temporary solution this week when the German entrepreneur agreed to run the tour as a standard Grand Slam and postpone his decision to crown a Freestyle Chess World Champion by the end of the tour. 

Whether the negotiations can resume at a later point when the storm has calmed seems unlikely. Carlsen remains adamant that his relationship with FIDE is beyond repair, he revealed in an interview with Norwegian TV network TV2.

"FIDE has actually 'backed out.' What I can say now is that the relationship that my team and I have with FIDE is pretty destroyed. At least with the current administration," he said.

What I can say now is that the relationship that my team and I have with FIDE is pretty destroyed. At least with the current administration.

—Magnus Carlsen

He can't imagine any cooperation with FIDE in the future and said he won't even take part in any future FIDE events either. That includes the World Rapid & Blitz Championships, scheduled for Doha, Qatar, in December. This is the first time since 2013 that the event will take place without the Norwegian.

"As it is now, it's completely out of the question," he added. 

In another interview with TakeTakeTake, the app he co-founded, Carlsen elaborated on the goals with Freestyle Chess. "I think a tournament series with the very best players in the world for very good money—there's every reason for the winner of that to be called a world champion."

"I was following it intently as a fan. I love the event. We honestly believe that Freestyle chess is better for a classical format; that doesn't mean that we're trying to take down classical chess or anything like that." @MagnusCarlsen pic.twitter.com/n4kUuzjsBX

— Take Take Take (@TakeTakeTakeApp) February 4, 2025

After abandoning his world championship title and cutting down on classical tournaments, many have regarded Carlsen's Freestyle Chess project as a direct attack on classical chess. Comparisons have been drawn to GMs Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short's Professional Chess Association (PCA) World Championship in the 1990s, which resulted in a split that fractured the chess world for a decade, before reunification in 2006. 

However, the five-time classical world champion insists that his project is different from that: "That was quite different, because they were directly going after FIDE's most valuable asset, the classical World Championship."

Despite withdrawing from the FIDE World Championship cycle, Carlsen maintains an appreciation for its legacy, dating back to the 1886 match between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort.

"I was following it intently as a fan. I love the event. We honestly believe that Freestyle Chess is better for a classical format. That doesn't mean that we're trying to take down classical chess or anything like that." 

We honestly believe that Freestyle Chess is better for a classical format. That doesn't mean that we're trying to take down classical chess or anything like that.

—Magnus Carlsen

Carlsen and Buettner had attempted to involve FIDE in the Freestyle Chess project, offering financial backing, but negotiations collapsed. "We offered FIDE money for that. They wanted more. I think it was possible to reach a solution there, but at that point, Buettner was already unhappy with the process," Carlsen explained. He also expressed frustration with FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, stating that he "has not kept his word fully. Which is a bit of a shame."

Dvorkovich, who was in active negotiations with Buettner over a possible deal last weekend until they broke down, hit back at the claims that he didn't keep his promise in an interview with NRK.

"They said I broke my promise, but that's just nonsense," he said. "I said I promised no sanctions against players who take part in the Freestyle Grand Slam in 2025. That was my promise and I will stick to that."

They said I broke my promise, but that's just nonsense.

—Arkady Dvorkovich

The Russian FIDE President said he shared the Freestyle proposal with the FIDE Council, which included an offer of co-regulation of tournament rules, a say in scheduling policies, and an annual financial contribution of $300,000 to a FIDE-controlled tournament.

However, that offer was rejected: "Our colleagues in Freestyle Chess continue to say that they own chess and that FIDE can't do anything about it. That is unacceptable. The only way we can come to an agreement is if FIDE remains the sole regulator of chess and that we do it together with Freestyle Chess. But we are not giving up our control. They didn't accept the deal," Dvorkovich said.

For now, the conflict is settled, and chess fans can focus on watching some of the world's best players battle it out in Germany. Don't miss the action on Chess.com!

The world’s best players will be competing in the the first leg of the 2025 @chess_freestyle Grand Slam tour this week! 😍 #FreestyleChess

🔵 Feb 7 - 14 at 7:00 am ET, 13:00 CET pic.twitter.com/QaVHmELO3d

— Chess.com (@chesscom) February 5, 2025