Gukesh finishes winless in Freestyle Chess Grand Slam
What's the story
World champion D Gukesh has ended his Freestyle Chess Grand Slam campaign without a single win. His final match ended in defeat against Iranian-French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in the second game of their seventh-place playoff. Meanwhile, the loss saw Gukesh finish eighth overall at the tournament in Hamburg, Germany.
Playoff details
Firouzja dominates playoff match against Gukesh
The seventh-place playoff match was completely dominated by Firouzja, who defeated Gukesh in just 30 moves. This came after Gukesh had made an impressive comeback from a seemingly hopeless position to draw the first game against Firouzja. However, in the final game of their match, it was evident that Gukesh had run out of steam.
Tournament winner
Keymer clinches top spot in Freestyle Chess Grand Slam
In a surprising turn of events, Vincent Keymer won the first-ever edition of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam. Despite being a relative newcomer, Keymer outperformed his more experienced rivals. This win is a major achievement for the German player and a piece of good news for the sponsors of this new tournament format.
Game variant
Freestyle chess: A unique variant popularized by Bobby Fischer
Freestyle chess, or Fischer Random Chess, Chess 9LX, or Chess960, is a unique variant that was popularized by legendary chess player Bobby Fischer in 1996. Unlike traditional chess where piece positions are fixed on the back ranks, freestyle chess shuffles these positions. Meanwhile, this change largely eliminates reliance on opening theory and instead challenges players to depend on their understanding of the position and their skills.