12/3/2025 – Tomorrow (4 December) marks the official start of the Freestyle Finals in South Africa. The opening press conference at The Silo Hotel in Cape Town will be followed by a diving chess competition. From 8 December, the Grand Slam Finals will begin at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, featuring Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer and Javokhir Sindarov, among others. | Photos: Freestyle Chess
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Press release
From Diving Chess to Waterfront Public Viewing
Freestyle Chess Brings the Grand Slam Finals to South Africa
Free Public Viewing at the V&A Waterfront / Kick-off Press Conference in Cape Town
The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals opens its South African chapter on December 4, beginning with the debut of Diving Chess at The Silo Hotel, while public viewing at the V&A Waterfront will start on December 8 and continue throughout the tournament. Before the finalists travel to the Grootbos tournament venue, the opening days in Cape Town offer opportunities for media and local players to connect with the world’s leading grandmasters.
Press Conference
The week begins at 11:00 a.m. on December 4 with the press conference at The Silo Hotel, hosted by Norwegian TV presenter Sverre Krogh Sundbø. Freestyle Chess co-founders Magnus Carlsen and Jan Henric Buettner will be present, making this the only scheduled opportunity for direct questions before the competition moves to Grootbos. Media can register with a brief e-mail to media@freestyle-chess.com.
Diving Chess
Following the press conference, the opening program continues at The Silo Hotel with Diving Chess, the underwater chess variant developed by Etan Ilfeld. World Diving Chess Champion Michal Mazurkiewicz will be on site to support and advise the players. Although this is not a formal media event, limited coverage from designated positions may be possible.
Local Chess Clubs and Welcome Reception
In the hours after the press conference, and in parallel with Diving Chess, several finalists plan to visit the University of the Western Cape where they will meet players from local chess clubs in the Cape Town area. The visit is not part of a structured media program, but selected coverage can be arranged on request through the Freestyle Chess media team. On December 5, a Welcome Reception for students and regional representatives will take place in Stanford. Media coverage is possible and will be coordinated individually after registration.
Public Viewing at the Waterfront
From December 8 to 11, the V&A Waterfront becomes the public hub of the Grand Slam Finals. Starting at 12:30 p.m. each day, the official Freestyle Chess broadcast from Grootbos will be shown live on-site, hosted by South African presenters Cato Louw and Adrian Endly, joined by grandmaster Vidit Santosh Gujarathi from India and several special guests from the South African chess community.
They will guide fans through every round of the tournament. The Waterfront public viewing is free of charge. It offers the main opportunity for audiences in Cape Town to experience the event as it unfolds.
Freestyle Chess emphasizes that there is no ticketing or public access to the tournament venue in Grootbos or to Diving Chess at The Silo Hotel. The V&A Waterfront serves as the central public meeting point for audiences throughout the final week.
Throughout Final Week, Freestyle Chess will distribute same-day Flash News updates during the Diving Chess competition and the Grand Slam Finals, along with current photos for editorial use. Full reports will be published on freestyle-chess.com after each tournament day.
10/24/2025 – The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam 2025 will conclude in South Africa with a final event from 8 to 11 December. At the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in the Western Cape Province, eight of the world's best players, including Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, will compete both for the tournament victory and the series title. | Photo: Freestyle Chess/ Grootbos
7/15/2025 – Golden State Warriors forward Quinten Post has claimed the title of first-ever NBA Chess Champion, winning the blitz tournament at the inaugural Chesstival, a unique crossover event co-hosted by Derrick Rose and Freestyle Chess at the Wynn Las Vegas. Post scored an impressive 4.5 out of 5, defeating several top basketball personalities in five fast-paced rounds. | Photo: Tania Sachdev and Quentin Post playing "Head and Hand" | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess
King’s Indian fans who choose the Mar del Plata attack (7...Nc6) against White’s classical system (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0) usually aim for a complex position with mutual attacks on open wings, requiring long-term strategic planning and tactical sharpness in critical moments. Computers often do not know how to handle the arising complex strategic positions, which suits players who like to think on their own instead of memorizing long variations. However, the fashionable Bayonet Attack (9.b4) interferes with Black’s ideas. After Black’s main move 9...Nh5 the positions opens, the lines get forced and computer analysis is important again. But this DVD offers an antidote against White’s Bayonet Attack, namely 9...a5! This move leads to sound positions with very few concrete lines, in which the focus is on strategy not on tactics. Objectively chances are equal but if Black knows what to do things might quickly become dangerous for White.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
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In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of King’s Indian and Pirc structures with colours reversed, often arising from the French or Sicilian.
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