Only a day in the past, GM Magnus Carlsen achieved the seemingly unattainable (once more). This time, he received the 2025 Grenke Chess Freestyle Open with an ideal 9/9 rating. Whereas his stellar efficiency stole headlines throughout the five-day occasion, we evaluate seven conclusions we will draw from the Freestyle and Open A tournaments, which went from April 17-21.
- World’s Largest Chess Competition Breaks New Floor
- Carlsen’s Period Is not Completed But
- Different Elite Gamers Struggled
- Caruana, Arjun Made Comebacks
- Maghsoodloo Is Again
- IM Aswath Wins Forward Of 31 GMs In Classical Occasion
- IM Lu Miaoyi Makes High Rating After 1st Spherical Loss
1. World’s Largest Chess Competition Breaks New Floor
The world’s most attended chess competition continues to develop. Whereas final yr introduced greater than two and a half thousand individuals to Karlsruhe, this yr noticed even that report damaged with over 3,000.
Whereas the common event stayed the identical (with three ranking sections in a nine-round open), this yr’s Freestyle Chess occasion was new. It changed the beforehand held Grenke Chess Traditional, which was a closed round-robin event that includes elite gamers. 297 gamers participated within the A gaggle of the Freestyle occasion (you needed to be rated 1950+), who would in any other case not often have an opportunity to play alongside—or towards—the world’s finest gamers, together with Carlsen.
You’ll be able to fly by way of the large taking part in corridor within the drone video offered under.
The Freestyle occasion was definitely the primary of its type, a nine-round open occasion with Chess960 and a classical time management of 90 minutes for all sides plus a 30-second increment. An additional quirk, by no means seen earlier than, was that earlier than spherical 5 gamers may swap from the open event to the Freestyle one, a provision that a number of gamers took benefit of, together with high seed GM Awonder Liang. (Sadly, he was paired with the guillotine Carlsen, in spherical six. We all know how that went.)
You’ll be able to see the organizers’ post-event video compilation under.
2. Carlsen’s Period Is not Completed But
If there’s one factor on this record that we already knew, it is that Carlsen is the world’s number-one chess participant at this second. What number of instances do we’ve got to be reminded?
Whereas he is much less lively in common, classical chess, he nonetheless proves his dominance in pace chess and Chess960 occasions. Three years after giving up his classical world champion title, his 9/9 rating confirmed that his period of dominance is not over but.
Carlsen famous that he solely performed one 2700+ GM, Vincent Keymer, although if we’re wanting on the dwell ranking record, that is not precisely true. The week earlier than this event, GM Parham Maghsoodloo received the 2025 Reykjavik Open and broke 2700 once more on the dwell ranking record (he is at 2703). Credit score must be given for defeating seven grandmasters in complete.
Magnus pulled the AliReza of Caruanas! Unbelievable… #FreestyleChess
— Levon Aronian (@LevAronian) April 21, 2025
We’re nonetheless in Carlsen’s period 🐐 #GrenkeChess pic.twitter.com/yN2OoihmBW
— Kostya Kavutskiy (@hellokostya) April 21, 2025
Individuals can argue whether or not his event victory is akin to a “actual” classical event, versus Chess960. No matter that, we will all in all probability agree that this was a good efficiency. Some go so far as to say it is the very best ever (assuming we will evaluate a efficiency in an unrated, Chess960 event to a rated, classical one).
🚀🚀 I am completely delighted to announce that Magnus Carlsen’s excellent 9/9 in Grenke is the HIGHEST efficiency ranking in historical past, surpassing Fischer’s unbelievable 11/11 run within the 1964 US Championship by only a few ranking factors 🤯🤯 🧵 pic.twitter.com/0ZtsKBROt2
— Mehmet Ismail🐴 (@drmehmetismail) April 21, 2025
3. Different Elite Gamers Struggled
Carlsen’s two-points-above-the-field result’s additional elevated once you evaluate it to that of his friends, on the planet top-10 or top-20. They struggled early on, particularly on day two, when high seeds like GMs Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave all misplaced video games (simply to call just a few). It may have been even worse, for instance, as Caruana solely survived (and received) towards IM Bibisara Assaubayeva from a dropping place when she blundered.
Big reduction for Fabiano Caruana, who was busted towards Bibisara Assaubayeva till she performed 56.Nf5?? (56.Rf6! wins) and misplaced! https://t.co/IdNaOz3YPD pic.twitter.com/rkMb5aCZHk
— chess24 (@chess24com) April 18, 2025
Commentators GM Peter Leko and IM Lawrence Trent talked at a number of factors about whether or not Chess960 ranges the taking part in area, whether or not the absence of opening concept offers the underdogs a greater probability. The jury’s nonetheless out, as we should see extra occasions like this performed out, although the taking part in area wasn’t precisely “leveled” when it got here to upsetting Carlsen this time round.
4. Caruana, Arjun Made Comebacks
Regardless of early losses, Caruana and GM Arjun Erigaisi had the very best comebacks of any participant within the top-20. Caruana misplaced in spherical three, towards GM Etienne Bacrot, however then received 4 of his subsequent six video games to complete within the large tie of gamers on seven factors. Arjun misplaced in spherical 4 towards his countryman GM Aryan Chopra, however remarkably received 4 of his final 5 video games to finish on the identical rating.
Thankfully for them, each Caruana and Arjun have already certified for the Las Vegas occasion, regardless of their efficiency in Germany.
GM Leinier Dominguez additionally deserves credit score for ending on the identical rating, although he did not need to “come again.” He by no means misplaced a recreation; as an alternative, he made 4 attracts alongside along with his 5 wins. He, Carlsen, and GM Alexey Sarana had been the one gamers within the top-10 who went undefeated throughout the 9 rounds.
Dominguez’s final draw, towards Maghsoodloo, was an extremely dramatic recreation, because it practically stood between the Iranian GM and his qualification to the occasion in Las Vegas. That was our Sport of the Day on Monday and you may evaluate GM Rafael Leitao‘s annotations under. (Extra on this recreation within the subsequent level.)
Although he completed on 6.5, GM Wesley So additionally had a pleasant comeback after dropping in spherical three towards GM Dmitrij Kollars, his solely lack of the event.
5. Maghsoodloo Is Again
Twenty-four-year-old Maghsoodloo, who for the primary time breached the 2700 mark in 2021 and reached his all-time excessive of 2742 in 2023, is Iran’s number-one participant, after GM Alireza Firouzja moved to France. Since then, his ranking took a dip, reaching a low of 2674 in the beginning of this yr.
However the Iranian GM burst again onto the scene in April. Within the Austrian Bundesliga, he received 4 straight video games. Then he flew to the Reykjavik Open, the place he completed in clear first with 7.5/9. Then he completed as runner-up within the Grenke Freestyle occasion. Despite the fact that this was an unrated occasion, it’s one other robust exhibiting by the imaginative fighter.
In his closing recreation towards Dominguez, a win would have meant a sole second-place end. When he drew that recreation, he was reportedly in tears.
There was some confusion after the spherical whether or not the seven gamers on seven factors would play a tiebreaker at a future date or whether or not the Buchholz could be used. In the end, he received with the very best Buchholz rating.
6. IM Aswath Wins Forward Of 31 GMs In Classical Occasion
Indian IM Aswath S received the best part of the common open occasion and earned his first grandmaster norm with a 2779 efficiency. GM Brandon Jacobson additionally completed on the identical variety of factors however had a decrease Buchholz rating.
Congratulations to IM Aswath S on a improbable efficiency on the Grenke Open! 👏🏆
He scored 8/9, gained 32 ELO factors and in addition made his first grandmaster norm. He has already surpassed 2500, so he wants simply two GM norms to change into a grandmaster.
📸: @photochess pic.twitter.com/B798puntWz
— Chess.com – India (@chesscom_in) April 22, 2025
It is a formidable particular person rating for the 16-year-old worldwide grasp, however it additionally means we’ve got yet one more Indian expertise to be careful for within the coming years. He beat three grandmasters within the second half of the event, together with Jacobson in spherical 5.
7. IM Lu Miaoyi Makes High Rating After 1st Spherical Loss
IM Lu Miaoyi, who additionally performed within the Reykjavik Open and gained 5 ranking factors there, participated within the open A occasion. She misplaced her first recreation towards a participant rated 2091, however then she went into overdrive for the subsequent eight rounds.
She completed because the top-performing lady (or lady) with 6.5/9, and gained one other 9 factors. One other instance exhibiting {that a} round-one loss does not need to be a disaster. Will she be China’s subsequent grandmaster? Nicely, she’s nonetheless 15 years previous.
WGM Josefine Heinemann (who transferred over to Freestyle Chess after spherical 4) and Assaubayeva had been the top-scoring ladies within the Freestyle occasion, with 6.5/9. Assaubayeva, who practically defeated Caruana in spherical two, by no means misplaced one other recreation.
That wraps up the Grenke Chess tournaments, and we stay up for seeing extra Chess960 performed from July 15-19 in Las Vegas! The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour concludes in Cape City, South Africa, in December.
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The Grenke Freestyle Chess Open was a classical event within the Freestyle Chess (Chess960) format that determines one of many 12 members of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour occasion happening in Las Vegas. The occasion came about alongside a daily classical event, the Grenke Chess Open. The Freestyle Chess occasion was a nine-round Swiss with a time management of 90+30 for all the recreation, with a prize fund of €225,000 and the possibility to win Freestyle Grand Slam Tour factors.
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