2/9/2024 – A new super tournament starts in Weissenhaus, near Hamburg, Germany, today. But it is not just any other super tournament. This event is introduced by none other than the World no.1 Magnus Carlsen himself and it will be in Fischer-Random format or as Carlsen likes to say, Freestyle. Hence, the name WEISSENHAUS Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge. Carlsen's handpicked opponents for this eight-player tournament are: Fabiano Caruana (USA), Ding Liren (CHN), Alireza Firouzja (FRA), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB), D Gukesh, Vincent Keymer (GER) and Levon Aronian (USA). There will be four rounds of Rapid games played today in Playoffs. Round 1 starts today at 1 p.m. CET, 5:30 p.m. IST, 7 a.m. EST. | Photos: Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal
new: ChessBase Magazine 225
Chess Festival Prague 2025 with analyses by Aravindh, Giri, Gurel, Navara and others. ‘Special’: 27 highly entertaining miniatures. Opening videos by Werle, King and Ris. 10 opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more. ChessBase Magazine offers first-class training material for club players and professionals! World-class players analyse their brilliant games and explain the ideas behind the moves. Opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in tactics, strategy and endgames show you the tricks and techniques you need to be a successful tournament player! Available as a direct download (incl. booklet as pdf file) or booklet with download key by post. Included in delivery: ChessBase Magazine #225 as “ChessBase Book” for iPad, tablet, Mac etc.!
Let our authors show you how Carlsen tailored his openings to be able to outplay his opponents strategically in the middlegame or to obtain an enduring advantage into the endgame.
In this two-volume course GM Ganguly turns calculation into a trainable skill with a structured path for any level.
€39.90
Carlsen handpicks his opponents
In multitude of interviews, Magnus Carlsen has abundantly made it clear that he feels the conventional chess should have reduced time control due to the opening of the game played quite fast as it's mostly a preparation. He is not fond of preparing and keeping his preparation up to date. However, Chess960 or Fischer Random chess is something, he feels should have Classical time controls. The reasoning is quite simple, there is no opening theory, so you have to think from move no.1. Here at WEISSENHAUS Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, players will get the starting position for the round and ten minutes to think, discuss with the same color players if they wish to. However, no seconds or gadgets will be allowed in this time.
Magnus Carlsen mentioned after winning the FIDE World Cup 2023 that his game against D Gukesh was the one which he enjoyed the most. So it is no surprise that Gukesh is one of the seven handpicked opponents. Vincent Keymer (GER) and Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) are the only two other teenagers at the event. Keymer was the only player to defeat Carlsen in the World Cup 2023 and almost eliminated him, before the Norwegian went on to win the event. Abdusattorov won the World Rapid Championship 2021 and he upstaged the defending champion en route his first world rapid title. It is no wonder, why Carlsen chose these three teenagers.
Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge official logo
Magnus Carlsen, World Champion from 2013 to 2023, introduced a unique competition format specifically for the WEISSENHAUS Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge.
The objective is to elevate chess into an appealing, intellectually stimulating, and captivating sport for a broader audience, targeting a new demographic of spectators and consumers. The event is hosted at the prestigious WEISSENHAUS Private Nature Luxury Resort, known for hosting the G7 Foreign Minister summit in 2022.
The primary focus of the competition is on showcasing the personalities and extraordinary skills of Super Grandmasters, with Magnus Carlsen himself handpicking seven world-class challengers. This innovative approach aims to attract a younger audience of high-potential individuals who have a general interest in sports, catering to enthusiasts from around the globe.
The World no.1 - Magnus Carlsen (NOR), World no.2 - Fabiano Caruana (USA), reigning World Champion - Ding Liren (CHN), World no.6 - Alireza Firouzja (FRA), former World Rapid champion - Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB), World no.16 - D Gukesh, World no.17 - Vincent Keymer (GER) and only two-time World Cup winner in history - Levon Aronian (USA).
Shahid AhmedShahid Ahmed is the senior coordinator and editor of ChessBase India. He enjoys covering chess tournaments and also likes to play in chess events from time to time.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
The Hyper-Accelerated Dragon is fast, from the very first moves, your bishop heads to g7, seizes the long diagonal, and turns into the most feared piece on the board.
It rewards players who love initiative and clear attacking plans.
The Hyper-Accelerated Dragon is fast, from the very first moves, your bishop heads to g7, seizes the long diagonal, and turns into the most feared piece on the board.
It rewards players who love initiative and clear attacking plans.
The Hyper-Accelerated dragon is fast, from the very first moves, your bishop heads to g7, seizes the long diagonal, and turns into the most feared piece on the board.
It rewards players who love initiative and clear attacking plans.
“Mate is great!” – Tactical training with Oliver Reeh, “The 8th rank” – Andy Woodward analyses his game against Magnus Carlsen from TePe Sigeman 2026, “A modern Nimzo-Indian” – Andrei Volokitin introduces readers to "his" system and much more!
Chess is a concrete game. There is no way around training your calculation skills. Improve your visualization, pattern recognition and learn calculation techniques such as reciprocal thinking with this course.
This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas.
Slav and Semi-Slav Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains a total of 11 766 games from Mega 2026 or the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 1136 are annotated.
€9.90
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.
Pop-up for detailed settings
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies, analysis cookies and marketing cookies. You can decide which cookies to use by selecting the appropriate options below. Please note that your selection may affect the functionality of the service. Further information can be found in our privacy policy.
Technically required cookies
Technically required cookies: so that you can navigate and use the basic functions and store preferences.
Analysis Cookies
To help us determine how visitors interact with our website to improve the user experience.
Marketing-Cookies
To help us offer and evaluate relevant content and interesting and appropriate advertisement.
