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

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
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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Freestyle Chess goes mainstream

After five rounds of play at the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open, Magnus Carlsen holds the sole lead as the only player with a perfect score. The tournament, which features a 9-round Swiss format, has drawn nearly 300 participants, including 16 players rated 2700 or above. Carlsen, the clear top seed, has demonstrated both resilience and form in a field that blends youth and experience.

The event marks a significant development for Freestyle Chess, which has been mainly associated with elite invitationals organised by Jan Henric Buettner. The format is now being used in an open tournament setting by the organisers of the Grenke Chess Classic, which usually takes place during the Easter period.

Carlsen began the tournament with a straightforward win over German untitled player Vinzenz Hillermann in the first round on Thursday. However, Friday's double-round schedule already tested the former world champion. In round three, he faced a tough challenge from Swedish GM Nils Grandelius - his former second - who at times held an advantageous position before Carlsen managed to turn the tide.

In rounds 4 and 5, Carlsen encountered two seasoned opponents: French GM Etienne Bacrot (42) and Israeli GM Victor Mikhalevski (53). Though he faced stiff resistance in both games -particularly against Mikhalevski - Carlsen emerged victorious, maintaining his perfect score and pulling ahead of the field.

Close pursuers

Seven players are tied for second place, half a point behind Carlsen on 4½/5:

  • Awonder Liang (USA)
  • Paulius Pultinevicius (Lithuania)
  • Baadur Jobava (Georgia)
  • Matthias Bluebaum (Germany)
  • Alexey Sarana (Serbia)
  • Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran)
  • Leon Luke Mendonca (India)

This group includes a mix of established grandmasters and promising younger players.

Round 6 pairings (top boards)

  • Awonder Liang v. Magnus Carlsen
  • Leon Luke Mendonca v. Parham Maghsoodloo
  • Alexey Sarana v. Paulius Pultinevicius
  • Baadur Jobava v. Matthias Bluebaum

With four rounds remaining, the competition remains wide open.

Fabiano Caruana

Fabiano Caruana stands with 4/5 points - he was defeated by Etienne Bacrot in the third round | Photo: Stev Bonhage

Alexander Grischuk, Jan Smeets

Spectators follow the game Alexander Grischuk v. Jan Smeets (0-1) | Photo: Stev Bonhage

Hans Niemann

Hans Niemann made it to Karlsruhe with former world champion Vladimir Kramnik - the US star has collected 4 points so far with 3 wins and 2 draws | Photo: Stev Bonhage

Standings after round 5

Rk. Name Pts. TB1
1 Carlsen, Magnus 5 16,5
2 Liang, Awonder 4,5 21,5
Pultinevicius, Paulius 4,5 21,5
4 Mendonca, Leon Luke 4,5 17,5
5 Sarana, Alexey 4,5 16
6 Bluebaum, Matthias 4,5 15
Jobava, Baadur 4,5 15
8 Maghsoodloo, Parham 4,5 14
9 Mikhalevski, Victor 4 17
10 Nepomniachtchi, Ian 4 16,5
Niemann, Hans Moke 4 16,5
Mamedov, Rauf 4 16,5
13 Aryan Chopra, 4 16
14 Keymer, Vincent 4 15,5
Van Foreest, Jorden 4 15,5
Svane, Rasmus 4 15,5
17 Dominguez Perez, Leinier 4 15
Tabatabaei, M. Amin 4 15
Pranesh M, 4 15
20 Caruana, Fabiano 4 14,5
Yu, Yangyi 4 14,5
Esipenko, Andrey 4 14,5
Movsesian, Sergei 4 14,5
24 Oparin, Grigoriy 4 14
Karthikeyan, Murali 4 14

...297 players

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.