Despite a winless run in the Freestyle Grand Slam qualifiers, D Gukesh secured a knockout berth, showing resilience in a star-studded field that saw Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, and others battle for supremacy.

Gukesh lost to the world’s highest-rated chess player, Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian GM then shared his perspective on the game, his first against Gukesh since he became world champion.

Carlsen, the world’s highest-rated chess player since 2010, will take a seat in Weissenhaus, Germany, to compete in freestyle chess, previously known as Chess960 and Fischer Random. The starting position of the back row pieces is randomized, removing a top grandmaster’s lifetime of memorization and theory on how to open a chess game.

World Champion D Gukesh lost to Magnus Carlsen in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, finishing eighth but qualifying for the knockout stage. Despite two losses and seven draws, Gukesh will face Fabiano Caruana in the quarterfinals,

With a total of 3.5 points, world champion D Gukesh finished a rare event without a single victory, drawing seven games and losing two.

This isn't just another chess tournament though, with a public spat between Carlsen and the promoters of the FCGT with FIDE in the build-up to the tournament.

Magnus Carlsen reflects on his initial impression of D Gukesh ahead of their highly anticipated clash at the 2025 Norway Chess tournament.

Magnus Carlsen questioned the validity of classical chess as a measure of skill, favoring rapid chess. Gukesh acknowledged the quality of their championship match, while Carlsen ruled out a title clash.