D Gukesh came face to face with world No 1 Magnus Carlsen for the first time since he was crowned world champion in December, only to suffer his second defeat of the ongoing Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Weissenhaus thanks to a late blunder.

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.

World Champion D Gukesh qualified for the knockout stage in the first event of the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour, despite losing to the world’s highest-rated player, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, in the ninth and final round of the qualifiers.

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.

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.

Retirement sure hasn't confined Derrick Rose to the leisure of his home. The post Amid Magnus Carlsen's Protests Against FIDE, Bulls Legend Derrick Rose Pays Tribute to Chess Grandmaster appeared first on EssentiallySports.

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

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.