Pranav Venkatesh and Anna Muzychuk qualify for 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championships

by Press release
7/2/2026 – Pranav Venkatesh and Anna Muzychuk have qualified for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship through the first part of the 2026 Freestyle Friday Championship. Pranav topped the open standings after 19 weeks of online play, while Muzychuk finished first in the women's standings. Both will join the already confirmed players in Weissenhaus, where the women's and open events are scheduled for February 2027. | Image: Freestyle Chess
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.
FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! 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.

Press release by Freestyle Chess

The next two players in the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship lineup are confirmed: Pranav Venkatesh (India) and Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) have qualified through the first part of the 2026 Freestyle Friday Championship.

After 19 weeks of online play, Pranav finished first in the open standings with 60 points. In the women's standings, Muzychuk topped the field with 88 points. Both players have now secured their places in the 2027 World Championship at Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort in northern Germany.

The 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship will feature eight players in each competition. Five places are now confirmed in both fields.

  • In the open category, Pranav joins Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Vincent Keymer.
  • In the women's category, Muzychuk joins Bibisara Assaubayeva, Harika Dronavalli, Alua Nurman, and Dinara Wagner.

The Women's World Championship will take place from February 5 to 7, 2027. The Open World Championship will follow from February 12 to 14, 2027. Both events will be held in Weissenhaus, Germany.

The Freestyle Friday Championship will continue after the summer break. Its second part will decide another qualification spot in both the Open and Women's categories.

  • Freestyle Friday Championship leaderboards: Open | Women's

Freestyle Chess

Media contact:
 
FIDE FREESTYLE CHESS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
FREESTYLE CHESS GRAND SLAM TOUR
FREESTYLE CHESS PLAYERS CLUB
FREESTYLE CHESS ACADEMY
 
Hock und Partner - Beratungsgesellschaft
für Marketing und Kommunikation mbH
Till Behrend
Rothenbaumchaussee 1
D-20148 Hamburg
 
T: +49 (0) 40 413 228-0
M: +49 (0) 151 4231 7721
t.behrend@hock-partner.de
 
media@freestyle-chess.com
www.freestyle-chess.com

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.
Calculation is at the heart of practical chess. Every chess concept builds on proper calculation technique. Therefore, all chess players should continuosly train the fundamental techniques, concepts and patterns this course will present. The goal isn't only to teach you to calculate, but to give you the tools and insights to keep improving long after the final lesson.
Free sample video: Introduction

Free sample video: Quiet Moves

<< Zagreb: Entertaining first day of rapid leaves Firouzja as sole leader
International Chess Day 2026: Celebrate, create and make a difference >>
Topics: Anna Muzychuk, Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027, Pranav Venkatesh
Discussion and Feedback Submit your feedback to the editors

See also

Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027: Next qualifying spot to be awarded at the end of June

6/4/2026 – The fifth qualification places for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship (Open and Women's) will now be decided through the Freestyle Friday standings after the final event on 26 June. The leaders in the Open and Women's divisions will each secure a direct spot in the finals at Weissenhaus. The series will then resume after the summer break, with the second half determining the sixth qualifiers in both categories.
More...
 1

See also

Humpy Koneru withdraws from Women's Candidates, Anna Muzychuk named replacement

3/23/2026 – Humpy Koneru has withdrawn from the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, citing concerns over personal safety amid rising regional tensions. In line with the regulations, Anna Muzychuk has been invited to replace the Indian grandmaster in the eight-player field. Travel advisories and recent security incidents in the Eastern Mediterranean have formed the wider context surrounding Koneru's decision just ahead of the event's scheduled start. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
More...
 2

Video

60m English New ideas in the Najdorf_E

‘New ideas in the Najdorf – a Power Play 18 Update’ aims to complement Daniel King’s popular DVD from last year ‘The Sicilian Najdorf - a repertoire for Black’. Such a dynamic and popular opening as the Najdorf is developing the whole time. On this download, Daniel King updates lines that were included on his DVD but also responds to viewers’ requests, considering lines that he omitted from his original repertoire. The lines examined on this update are: • 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 h3 e5 7 Nde2 • 5….a6 6 Bc4 in combination with the English Attack (Be3, f3 etc) • 5…a6 6 Be3 and the …a5 variation • 5…a6 6 Be2 and 9 Re1 • 5 f3 (instead of 5 Nc3) It isn’t necessary to have seen the original Najdorf DVD to understand the lines examined here – but it would help as they form part of a complete repertoire.