Grenke Chess Open - Live!

by ChessBase
4/21/2025 – The Grenke Freestyle Chess Open is taking place from 17 to 21 April at the Karlsruhe Convention Centre in Germany. The tournament follows a nine-round Swiss format with a classical time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. Players from the parallel Grenke Chess Open could switch to the Freestyle event between rounds two and five while keeping their scores. | Follow the games live with expert commentary.
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Round 9

The Grenke Freestyle Chess Open began on 17 April and runs until 21 April, hosted at the Karlsruhe Convention Centre in Karlsruhe, Germany. The event is a nine-round Swiss tournament played under Freestyle Chess rules, where the starting position is altered while preserving castling rights.

Each round uses a classical time control: 90 minutes for the entire game, with a 30-second increment from move one. The tournament attracts both elite and aspiring players in a format that balances tradition and innovation.

Players competing in the Grenke Chess Open, which traditionally features standard classical chess, have the option to switch to the Freestyle event between rounds two and five while retaining their score. This flexibility offers participants a unique opportunity to test themselves in both classical and Freestyle formats within a single event framework.

Live games - Classical chess

Commentary - Freestyle chess

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All available games - Freestyle chess

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.

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Grenke Freestyle Open: Carlsen sole leader with 5 out of 5

4/20/2025 – Magnus Carlsen leads the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open after five rounds, standing as the only player with a perfect score in a field of nearly 300 participants. The nine-round Swiss tournament, which includes 16 players rated 2700 or above, is a notable application of the Freestyle Chess format in an open setting. Seven players are half a point behind Carlsen, including Awonder Liang and Parham Maghsoodloo. Carlsen will face Liang with the black pieces in round six. | Photo: Stev Bonhage
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Video

60m The Two Knights

This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.