News for 'Freestyle Chess'

Carlsen wins inaugural Freestyle Chess World Championship

Carlsen wins inaugural Freestyle Chess World Championship

Rediff.com16 Feb 2026

Magnus Carlsen has won the first FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship, defeating Fabiano Caruana in the final match held in Germany.

Gukesh skips, Carlsen faces Praggnanandhaa in Freestyle Chess

Gukesh skips, Carlsen faces Praggnanandhaa in Freestyle Chess

Rediff.com16 Jul 2025

R Praggnanandhaa found himself clubbed with Magnus Carlsen in the same group, while Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi were bunched together in the other pool

Arjun, Praggnanandhaa disappoint in Freestyle Chess

Arjun, Praggnanandhaa disappoint in Freestyle Chess

Rediff.com21 Jul 2025

Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa finished in sixth and seventh position respectively, even as Grandmaster Levon Aronian of the United States reigned supreme in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.

Freestyle Chess: Arjun draws with Nakamura

Freestyle Chess: Arjun draws with Nakamura

Rediff.com10 Apr 2025

World No. 4 Arjun Erigaisi of India started off with a draw against Hikaru Nakamura of the United States in the first game of the quarterfinals of Freestyle chess tournament in Paris on Wednesday.

Gukesh loses to Firouzja, finishes last in Freestyle Chess

Gukesh loses to Firouzja, finishes last in Freestyle Chess

Rediff.com15 Feb 2025

World champion D Gukesh finished last after losing to Iranian-French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in the second game of their seventh place play-off match at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.

World Champion Gukesh crashes out of Freestyle chess

World Champion Gukesh crashes out of Freestyle chess

Rediff.com10 Feb 2025

D Gukesh did not last long against Fabiano Caruana in a must-win tie with the American winning in a mere 18 moves.

Freestyle Chess: It's Gukesh vs Caruana in quarters

Freestyle Chess: It's Gukesh vs Caruana in quarters

Rediff.com9 Feb 2025

World champion D Gukesh will take on Fabiano Caruana of the United States in the two-game quarter-final after the latter picked the Indian in a unique format typical of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, in Hamburg, Germany.

BMP monitor an 'X factor' at Freestyle Chess

BMP monitor an 'X factor' at Freestyle Chess

Rediff.com13 Feb 2025

'This introduction that has now been in place for sometime could well give that additional flavour for the chess players as they will be able to guess the pressure that a certain player is feeling during the course of a game.'

Freestyle Chess: Gukesh loses to Nakamura; Keymer shocks Carlsen

Freestyle Chess: Gukesh loses to Nakamura; Keymer shocks Carlsen

Rediff.com13 Feb 2025

World Champion D Gukesh's quest for a victory continued as Hikaru Nakamura defeated him in the tie-breaker of the 5-8 place play-off at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.

Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: Erigaisi loses to Nepomniachtchi

Freestyle Chess Grand Slam: Erigaisi loses to Nepomniachtchi

Rediff.com11 Apr 2025

World number four Arjun Erigaisi was outplayed by Ian Nepomniachtchi in the opening game of the 5-9 place tiebreaker at the ongoing Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.

Freestyle Chess: Gukesh draws with Nakamura; Keymer shocks Carlsen

Freestyle Chess: Gukesh draws with Nakamura; Keymer shocks Carlsen

Rediff.com12 Feb 2025

World champion D Gukesh played out a hard-fought draw with Hikaru Nakamura of United States in the first game of the 5-8 place play-offs.

Freestyle chess: Arjun into semis, Praggnanandhaa out

Freestyle chess: Arjun into semis, Praggnanandhaa out

Rediff.com18 Jul 2025

Arjun prevailed over Abdusattorov 1.5-0.5 while Praggnanandhaa lost an intense battle 3-4 against Caruana.

Freestyle Chess: Winless Gukesh marches into knockouts!

Freestyle Chess: Winless Gukesh marches into knockouts!

Rediff.com8 Feb 2025

American Hikaru Nakamura also finished with 5.5 points, 1.5 points ahead of local representative Vincent Keymer, who placed sixth.

Freestyle Chess: Praggnanandhaa stuns World No 1 Carlsen

Freestyle Chess: Praggnanandhaa stuns World No 1 Carlsen

Rediff.com17 Jul 2025

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa took down World No 1 Magnus Carlsen to advance to the top-bracket quarter-finals along with Arjun Erigaisi at the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour.

Gukesh at Freestyle Grand Slam: A new chess frontier

Gukesh at Freestyle Grand Slam: A new chess frontier

Rediff.com7 Feb 2025

World Champion D Gukesh began his campaign at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour with a mixed bag of results, including three draws and a lone loss, signaling that he is adapting to the new format.

Underwater chess! The game gets a thrilling twist

Underwater chess! The game gets a thrilling twist

Rediff.com5 Dec 2025

Hans Niemann quite literally made a splash on Wednesday, winning an underwater chess exhibition as festivities opened for the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals in Cape Town, where the world's elite players gathered ahead of the main competition.

Aravindh Chithambaram Defeats Gukesh in Prague Chess Festival

Aravindh Chithambaram Defeats Gukesh in Prague Chess Festival

Rediff.com4 Mar 2026

Aravindh Chithambaram defeated D Gukesh at the Prague International Chess Festival, while Jorden van Foreest maintains his lead in the tournament.

Freestyle Chess: Dominant Gukesh beats Carlsen; placed joint second

Freestyle Chess: Dominant Gukesh beats Carlsen; placed joint second

Rediff.com10 Feb 2024

Grandmaster D Gukesh threw one salvo after another to beat world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway, Levon Aronian of Armenia and eventually reigning world champion Ding Liren of China on the first day of the Weissenhaus Chess Challenge that got underway in Wangels (Germany).

Anand, Kasparov renew rivalry in Clutch Chess duel

Anand, Kasparov renew rivalry in Clutch Chess duel

Rediff.com7 Oct 2025

Anand and Kasparov last duelled in 2021 at the Zagreb Grand Chess Tour Blitz, where Anand won both their games.

Carlsen launches Freestyle tour, India first on list

Carlsen launches Freestyle tour, India first on list

Rediff.com15 Mar 2024

Chess great Magnus Carlsen is launching a world Freestyle Chess tour as the variant of the game, also known as Chess960, is gaining in popularity, the world number one announced on Friday.

Caruana CRUSHES Gukesh in Freestyle Grand Slam

Caruana CRUSHES Gukesh in Freestyle Grand Slam

Rediff.com9 Feb 2025

World Champion D Gukesh suffered a rare setback in normal time control, losing to USA's Fabiano Caruana in the first game of the quarterfinals of the Freestyle Grand Slam chess tournament.

Gukesh hails Anand, India's chess boom

Gukesh hails Anand, India's chess boom

Rediff.com8 Mar 2025

Reigning world chess champion D Gukesh has stated that he is open to competing in all formats of chess, including the newly popular freestyle format, but believes that classical chess, with its rich history, will always hold the greatest significance. Despite concerns of a potential split in the sport between supporters of freestyle and classical chess, Gukesh sees no reason for division, highlighting the excitement of freestyle while acknowledging the importance of the traditional format's legacy.

Vidit Weds Nidhi: A Chess Fairytale

Vidit Weds Nidhi: A Chess Fairytale

Rediff.com4 Apr 2025

Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi and Dr Nidhi Kataria's wedding was a spectacular blend of tradition, glamour, and chess royalty.

Niemann gone AWOL as Freestyle Paris Grand Slam underway

Niemann gone AWOL as Freestyle Paris Grand Slam underway

Rediff.com9 Apr 2025

'We can't care about the reasons or whatever happened to Hans. We don't care. We have to focus on our tournament.'

New Queen Rises! Divya Deshmukh Dazzles In 2025

New Queen Rises! Divya Deshmukh Dazzles In 2025

Rediff.com25 Dec 2025

Divya Deshmukh not only became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women's World Cup, she also instantly secured the prestigious Grandmaster title.

Carlsen strikes back! Crushes Praggnanandhaa, Arjun

Carlsen strikes back! Crushes Praggnanandhaa, Arjun

Rediff.com20 Jul 2025

Carlsen to fight for third place after wins over Arjun and Praggnanandhaa

'I am still better than the young chess stars'

'I am still better than the young chess stars'

Rediff.com17 Mar 2025

Magnus Carlsen feels he's still better than the young generation of chess players, but the Norwegian great is ruling out a comeback at the classical world championship.

Grand Chess Tour 2025: Gukesh in four-way lead

Grand Chess Tour 2025: Gukesh in four-way lead

Rediff.com3 Jul 2025

Grand Chess Tour: Gukesh in joint lead with Carlsen and Wesley So after day one

Carlsen v FIDE row intensifies...

Carlsen v FIDE row intensifies...

Rediff.com21 Jan 2025

Chess960, created by former world champion Bobby Fischer in 1996, has been gaining in popularity after an invitational tournament played last year at the Weissenhaus Luxury Resort, which hosted the G7 Foreign Minister summit in 2022.

Gukesh Meets Botez Sisters Again... Internet Can't Stop Laughing

Gukesh Meets Botez Sisters Again... Internet Can't Stop Laughing

Rediff.com7 Apr 2025

As Gukesh gears up for the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Tour, his latest interaction with the Botez sisters has sparked yet another meme fest online.

Sinquefield Cup: Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa aim for podium

Sinquefield Cup: Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa aim for podium

Rediff.com17 Aug 2025

Without Carlsen, the GCT was announced and this is the culmination point wherein the players would qualify for the grand finale slated later this year.

FIDE vs Carlsen intensifies: 'Will you resign?'

FIDE vs Carlsen intensifies: 'Will you resign?'

Rediff.com4 Feb 2025

Carlsen accuses FIDE chief of broken promises.

Gukesh Shaves Off Hair At Tirupati

Gukesh Shaves Off Hair At Tirupati

Rediff.com13 Mar 2025

Norway Chess released a video of 18-year-old Gukesh with a tonsured head, giving it as an offering to Lord Balaji.

Norway Chess: Carlsen outwits World champion Gukesh in a thriller

Norway Chess: Carlsen outwits World champion Gukesh in a thriller

Rediff.com27 May 2025

Five-time World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway got the better of D Gukesh in the opening round of Norway Chess.

How British Airways Treated Chess Star!

How British Airways Treated Chess Star!

Rediff.com15 Jul 2025

Arjun Erigaisi had to face involuntary downgrade from business class, rude staff and above all baggage loss.

Gukesh fights back to hold Firouzja

Gukesh fights back to hold Firouzja

Rediff.com14 Feb 2025

Local hero Vincent Keymer was at his best as he drew the first blood against Fabiano Caruana of the United States. Going in with 1-0 lead with one game to go, the onus is now on Caruana to draw level that will force a tiebreaker.

Carlsen held to a draw by more than 1.4 lakh players

Carlsen held to a draw by more than 1.4 lakh players

Rediff.com20 May 2025

Magnus Carlsen was held to a draw by more than 143,000 people worldwide playing against him in a single, record-setting online game, on Monday.

When Pragg First Beat Magnus Carlsen

When Pragg First Beat Magnus Carlsen

Rediff.com11 Aug 2025

'It was 2 am, my parents were asleep. I woke my dad up and said: 'I won'.' 'He said, 'Good' and then went back to sleep because he had to go to office the next day.'

Praggnanandhaa in awe of chess GOAT

Praggnanandhaa in awe of chess GOAT

Rediff.com29 Jun 2025

From flawless tournament runs to viral outbursts, Carlsen continues to shape the sport's future - sometimes with brilliance, sometimes with drama.

Gukesh recovers to go third on Day 1 at St. Louis

Gukesh recovers to go third on Day 1 at St. Louis

Rediff.com12 Aug 2025

Aronian sits on six points, followed closely by compatriot Fabiano Caruana on five after two wins and a draw. Gukesh shares the third place with another American, Wesley So, while Vachier-Lagrave and Leinier Dominguez Perez are tied for fifth with three points each.