Magnus Carlsen: The undisputed king of Freestyle
The world No.1 Norwegian had made history – winning the Grenke Chess Freestyle Open with a perfect 9/9 score. A performance that will perhaps be spoken of in the same breath as Bobby Fischer's brilliant 11/11 at the 1963-64 US Championships, and might even be seen as one that surpasses it. It's only fitting that Carlsen's flawless win came in the Fischer Random or Chess 960 format – one that was conceived by Fischer as a pushback against the thrust on theory, memorisation and preparation in chess.
'I haven't done this before and I'm not going to be able to do it again, that's for sure,' a pleased Carlsen said moments after, 'so it's just incredible. Of course, I knew coming in today (Sunday) that there was a chance, but I didn't really believe it until the very end when it was certain. It's just relief and joy…it's the kind of performance that you don't get to experience very often or basically ever.'
Carlsen's Grenke win with a €60,000 prize check comes less than a week after he won the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, without needing a tiebreak through the knockout stage. What makes Carlsen's feat astounding is his dominance irrespective of format – classical, rapid, blitz, and now, Fischer Random, which was supposed to be difficult and make for a level playing field in the absence of opening theory to fall back on.
He stepped away from classical chess and chose not to defend his world title (after winning it five times), since presumably winning no longer seemed fun and preparation, cumbersome. He turned to Fischer Random for unpredictability, chaos, and a fresh frontier to conquer. 'Carlsen is making the same mistake in his new game as he made in chess,' Grandmaster Anish Giri wrote on X in his typical wry style, 'He is completing it too quickly.'
'I played just one 2700 plus player, it should be mentioned,' said Carlsen, 'It's such a tough tournament, playing two games a day against so many hungry players. 'I didn't really think about it (scoring 9/9), until after I won my game against Parham (Maghsoodloo). Then I thought well, I'm not going to get a better chance than this. This (achievement) is way up there. It's the kind of thing I aim for these days.' He had scored 9/9 in the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia 2023, in blitz. But a flawless score in the chess960 classical time control, should hit differently.
Carlsen's aura was hard to miss in the tournament. Ahead of his game against eight-time French champion Etienne Bacrot, Carlsen was met with an unusual request. Bacrot pulled out his phone and clicked a selfie with Carlsen as the arbiter waited patiently. Both before and after games in the German city of Karlsruhe, Carlsen was surrounded and followed by crowds, hunting for autographs and selfies. 'There's nowhere to hide,' Carlsen smiled, 'That's why I don't play too many of these (open) tournaments.'
Before the ninth and final round began, German entrepreneur and founder of the Freestyle series Jan Henrik Buettner was in attendance in the playing hall. Keymer, who won the year's first Freestyle event in Weissenhaus, appeared to be putting up a brave fight and the position seemed equal before he ran into time trouble and the game slipped away from his hands.
'The last game (against Keymer) was a bit of a slugfest,' said Carlsen, 'I was mainly trying to hang in for most of the game. He got down on time, I took my chances and that's how history was made.'
Carlsen had already won the Grenke event with a round to spare before his result against Keymer saw him speedrunning it to perfection.
'It's very nice to sit at the board and know that I'm really going to enjoy the process of playing a game because that doesn't always happen when I play tournaments... I'm playing for the joy of the game and these little achievements are a bonus even if it's a huge one.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Club World Cup: Fluminense, Palmeiras show Brazil is doing something right
Kolkata: European giants Inter Milan and Manchester City being eliminated in a matter of hours by a club from Brazil and another from Saudi Arabia are results that can provide validation to the Club World Cup. Fluminense's Brazil stalwart Thiago Silva celebrates as Lautaro Martinez looks on after Hercules scores in added time in the 2-0 win over Inter Milan in the last 16 of the Club World Cup in Charlotte, North Carolina. (REUTERS) Simone Inzaghi wasn't wide of the mark when he compared his new team Al-Hilal beating Manchester City 4-3 to climbing 'Mt Everest without oxygen'; the round-of-16 result was being the best advertisement for Saudi Arabia since billions were poured into its football project. Fluminense's story is even better: a club battling relegation last year are now among the best eight in the world, and they got there by surprising Inter Milan with an aggressive start and scoring very early (German Cano, 3) and very late (Hercules, 90+3) in the 2-0 win. 'Inter are a great team. They have much more money than us, but on the pitch it's 11 against 11. The group believed, fought hard and stayed focused for the entire 90 minutes. Bravo!' said Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho. Fluminense are 181st in an Opta power ranking list on clubs where Inter are in the top 10. They finished 13th in the Campeonato Brasiliero Serie A, 33 points behind champions Botafogo. It was some fall for the 2023 Copa Libertadores champions, the slide chewing up former Brazil coaches Fernando Diniz and Mano Menezes. Gaucho, a former Brazil and Fluminense forward, took charge in April and has implemented his high-pressing style in a short time in a team whose defence is marshalled by Thiago Silva, 40, and whose goalkeeper Fabio is 44. Gritty goalless draws against Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns and a 4-2 win against Ulsan Hyundai brought the 123-year-old club from Rio de Janeiro up against the 20-time Serie A winners and thrice European champions. Now, Al-Hilal stand between Fluminense and a semi-final berth in the 32-team Club World Cup that began in the USA on June 14. With some luck, Palmeiras could join them. The traditional giants of Sao Paulo play Chelsea having beaten Botafogo in an all-Brazilian round-of-16 clash. With Flamengo going down fighting against Bayern Munich, it has been a tournament for the giants of Brazil to show that they still matter. Exactly how seriously Brazil took this competition can be gauged by the league being paused for a month to get the clubs – all of whom having qualified by winning the Copa Libertadores (South America's equivalent of the UEFA Champions League) from 2021 to 2024 – ready. 'Teams are playing every game like it is the final,' Flamengo coach Filipe Luis has said. The idea of testing themselves against the best of Europe goes back to when Pele's Santos beat Benfica and AC Milan to win successive editions of the Intercontinental Cup, a competition between winners of the Champions League and Copa Libertadores, in 1962 and 1963. In 1981, Zico starred in Flamengo beating Liverpool 3-0. Gremio (1983) and Sao Paulo (1992 and 1993) have also won this event. Over time, even as the idea of continental supremacy got diluted, European clubs stamped their authority on the Club World Cup comprising six to eight teams before this. Santos lost 0-4 to Barcelona in 2011 and since Corinthians beat Chelsea in the 2012 final, no team from Brazil had defeated a side from Europe. That changed this time. 'Botafogo was the team that defended the best against us,' said Paris St-Germain coach Luis Enrique after the Champions League winners lost 0-1 in the group stage. Flamengo made the most of Nicolas Jackson's 68th minute red card to beat Chelsea 3-1. And then Fluminense surprised Inter who finished second in the Champions League and Serie A. A Reddit post shows that the four Brazilian teams have played more matches than most European teams in the last 12 months. But what can explain the uptick in performance is that Brazilian clubs are in the middle of the season while those from Europe are tired having had to stretch theirs to accommodate this tournament. Teams from Brazil being more used to the scorching American summer is another. But above and beyond these are how Brazilian clubs have reshaped themselves, proof of which lies in winning the past six successive Copa Libertadores titles. 'A European club who happens to be in South America,' World Soccer quoted an unnamed coach in Copa Libertadores as saying of Flamengo. Proceeds from selling Vinicius Jr and Lucas Paqueta have been channelled into building a solid squad. The Athletic quoted Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano as saying that Palmeiras have 'two, even three, high level players' in every position. 'It is the same with Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo. They have invested a lot of money.' John Textor, who has stakes in Crystal Palace and Lyon, has a stake in Botafogo; Bahia are part of the City Football Group and Bragantino are in the Red Bull stable. It means Brazilian clubs can afford to retain talent and in the case of Palmeiras forward Vitor Roque, pay €25m to buy him from Barcelona. Even after helping Colombia reach the Copa America final, attacking player Jhon Arias has stayed at Fluminense. Jefferson Savarino (Botafogo), Girogian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo) and Flaco Lopez (Palmeiras) have shone in the USA but are yet to play in Europe. The path to Carlo Ancelotti being appointed Brazil coach was paved by Portuguese coaches at clubs. Step forward, Abel Ferreira (Palmeiras). Till the defeat to Palmeiras, Portuguese Renato Paiva helmed Botafogo. Foreigners can infuse fresh ideas and Portuguese coaches have won four of the past six Brazilian league titles. In his column, Tostao, the 1970 World Cup winner, had asked readers if they could imagine how wonderful it would be if a Brazilian team were to win this edition. That the possibility exits is an acknowledgement to how well clubs from the land of five-time world champions have performed.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
4 hours ago
- First Post
'Really unhappy': Gukesh finally opens up about his performance at Norway Chess 2025
World Champion Gukesh has opened up on his performance at Norway Chess 2025. He also recalled his famous win against current World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. read more World Chess Champion Dommaraju Gukesh has opened up about his performance at the Norway Chess 2025 tournament. In a conversation with ChessBase India, the 19-year-old spoke honestly about the ups and downs of his campaign, saying that while there were a few positives, there were also several things that didn't go well. Gukesh admitted that starting the tournament with two losses was tough, but he was glad to finish on a positive note. Gukesh began his tournament with a loss to World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, followed by another defeat to fellow Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi. But he bounced back quickly by beating American GM Hikaru Nakamura in the third round, and later won an Armageddon game against Fabiano Caruana. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Can't say happy, but there are some things to be happy about, some things to be really unhappy about. One thing is starting so badly and finishing so well. In the final round, I had fair chances to win. Starting with two losses in a tournament like this, it's not great. Another thing to be happy about is, in general, when I am in good form, like everything just goes very smoothly, like in Candidates, Olympiad, when I am in my best form, things just happen naturally," Gukesh said. Gukesh on his win over Carlsen Gukesh's most special moment came in the sixth round when he defeated Carlsen in a classical game for the first time. The Norwegian made a big mistake in the endgame and Gukesh took full advantage to hand him a defeat. Carlsen was so upset that he slammed the table after the loss . 'One thing about Magnus is that even when he is in bad form, he finishes second or third maximum. So one thing that I can be happy about is, even though I was playing pretty badly, to be honest, I still had chances to win. I guess the thing to be unhappy about is simply that in some games, I was just misevaluating,' he said. 'For example, in many games, pretty much all the games, there were one or two big moments. But okay. That's a chess weakness. It's nice that we could notice it, because I can just work on that. Some things to be happy about, some things to be not happy about. Overall, I think it was a nice experience,' Gukesh added. Meanwhile, Gukesh has opted to withdraw from the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour after struggling in the first two legs in Weissenhaus and Paris. Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi has been added as his replacement for the event.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
5 hours ago
- First Post
Pep Guardiola, Enzo Maresca criticise FIFA Club World Cup after Jurgen Klopp: 'It's not football'
Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca have joined Jurgen Klopp in criticising the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, raising concerns over player workload and congested schedules. read more Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola and Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca have come out in support of Jurgen Klopp, who has labelled the FIFA Club World Cup as 'the worst idea ever implemented in football'. Klopp, currently Red Bull's 'head of global football', had told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that the FIFA World Cup has crowded the football calendar and it meant there was no time for players to recover mentally or physically. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Guardiola agrees with Klopp over Club World Cup criticism Agreeing with the former Liverpool manager, Guardiola said that he understands Klopp's arguments and would also 'defend them.' 'Jurgen – we fought together many, many times, I know where the idea comes from, we fought a lot in England, when we went to UEFA meetings, especially on the Premier League, (about) the calendar, to try to (increase the) quality,' Guardiola said before Man City's match against Al Hilal. More from Football 'So the players rest, and the managers rest, (then) you have more quality, so it didn't surprise me, I understand him, I respect him. 'I have an incredible relationship with Jurgen, when we were rivals… I understand his argument, because his argument I would defend as well.' However, Pep said, despite the criticism the tournament has received, he is 'proud' to be competing in the tournament. 'At the same time we're in a job, we follow FIFA, UEFA, Premier League, Serie A… the managers are not going to organise the competitions, everyone has their own role, they organise the competitions,' continued Guardiola. 'I have said many times, I am so proud to be here, because in the end many, many teams complain about the competitions, because they are not here, otherwise they would love maybe to be there. 'Their media will be here, their supporters will be here, there will be their income in terms of money to be here, and they will be happy to be there.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nonetheless, Man City on Monday after losing to Al Hilal on Monday. Maresca blasts weather rules of FIFA Club World Cup in US Chelsea's Maresca criticised the in the USA as the match against Benfica on Saturday was suspended for almost two hours due to a thunderstorm in Charlotte. Italian manager Maresca was unhappy that the match lasted for four hours and 38 minutes due to US safety regulations forcing Chelsea and Benfica to go off the pitch. The whole game lasted for four hours and 38 minutes. 'It's not normal to suspend a game. In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Probably zero. In Europe, how many games? Zero,' said Maresca. 'For me personally, it's not football. You cannot be inside for two hours. It is something completely new,' said Maresca, who questioned whether the U.S. - along with Mexico and Canada - would make a suitable host for next summer's World Cup finals. 'I can understand that for security reasons, you are to suspend the game. But if you suspend six, seven games that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition,' he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
