4/3/2026 – The Freestyle Chess Open in Karlsruhe has begun as part of the grenke Chess Festival, which brought together nearly 4,000 players across multiple events. Led by Magnus Carlsen, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Vincent Keymer, the main Freestyle Open features nine rounds with randomly generated starting positions. The winner will secure a place in the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship. | Photo: Jeroen van den Belt / ChessBase
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Carlsen, Abdusattorov and Keymer head multitudinous field
By Freestyle Chess GmbH
The Freestyle Chess Open in Karlsruhe has begun. The world-class tournament is part of the grenke Chess Festival at the Schwarzwaldhalle, where nearly 4,000 players compete across six events - the largest chess tournament globally. Play runs from April 2 to 6. The Freestyle Open A is the key event, with the winner qualifying directly for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship.
The field, packed with world-class players, reflects the competitive value of the event. Magnus Carlsen, the world's number one, Vincent Keymer, Germany's number one, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the world's number five, lead the field. Nine rounds will be played. Each game begins with a newly generated starting position. Last year, Carlsen managed to win the Freestyle Open with nine wins out of nine games, a fabulous achievement that the Norwegian believes he will not be able to repeat. He's trying anyway.
More than 200,000 euros in prize money will be awarded in the Freestyle Open A, with 60,000 euros going to the winner. The top three women will earn spots in the 2027 Women's Freestyle Chess World Championship.
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.
WGM Narmin Khalafova, Magnus Carlsen's round-one opponent
Players and fans getting acquainted with the initial Freestyle Chess position
Austrian FM Gunnar Schnepp was defeated by US star Hans Niemann
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Viktor Korchnoi. Let them show you which openings Korchnoi chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame.
Local hero Vincent Keymer and multiple world champion Magnus Carlsen are the two biggest stars in the multitudinous festival
Chess fans since an early age!
It looks like the position on the board is particularly interesting!
This video course features the ins-and-outs of the possible setups Black can choose. You’ll learn the key concepts and strategies needed to add this fantastic opening to your repertoire. An easy-to-learn and yet venomous weapon.
Local hero @VincentKeymer04 started the Grenke Freestyle Open with a win over WIM Sonja Maria Bluhm! Both players were smiling after the game as Sonja did some post-game analysis with Vincent.
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.
In this volume, we dive into core aspects of chess technique. Smyslov taught the principle of tactical hierarchy, “checks, double attacks, and unprotected pieces”, and Mikhalchishin demonstrates how this method of calculation is vital.
Videos: Nico Zwirs examines two Petroffs from the 2026 Candidates. Robert Ris has a tip against the Caro-Kann Advance Variation with 3…c5. Fiona Sieber reveals a surprise weapon against the Najdorf. ‘Lucky Bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, L'Ami et al.
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.
In this powerful new course, endgame expert Karsten Müller teams up with rising star Leon Mendonca to deliver what truly matters: 10 essential rules that every player must know.
In this video course experts examine the games of Bent Larsen. Let them show you which openings Larsen chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
From the 2026 Candidates Tournament, featuring a video review by Dorian Rogozenco, to Jan Werle’s opening video on the French Tarrasch Defence, and Oliver Reeh’s tactical column ‘Top Grandmasters at Work’. Analyses by Giri, So, Wei Yi and many others.
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