Hans Niemann reveals up at Grenke Chess Freestyle Open after last-minute withdrawal from Paris Grand Slam

American Grandmaster Hans Niemann confirmed up on the Grenke Chess Freestyle Open in Karlsruhe, Germany on Friday after staging a
last-minute withdrawal from the Paris Grand Slam earlier this month. What made his participation within the occasion extra attention-grabbing was the truth that he was competing alongside world No 1 Magnus Carlsen, a person he has fairly the historical past with.

Right here’s Niemann displaying up on Day 1 of the occasion at Karlsruhe:

Hans Niemann has made it to the Grenke #FreestyleChess Open that is beginning quickly! pic.twitter.com/hXMmnU3Kuc

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 17, 2025

The 21-year-old was scheduled to made his Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour debut in Paris earlier this month, solely to mysteriously pull out two days earlier than the occasion with out providing a correct rationalization. Uzbekistani GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov changed him within the lineup whereas Carlsen went on to be topped champion, defeating Hikaru Nakamura within the closing.

Niemann had been
accused of dishonest by Carlsen within the 2022 Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, USA which led a $100 million lawsuit filed towards the latter in addition to world No 2 Hikaru and Chess.com.

Although each events later reached a settlement and the lawsuit dismissed, Niemann and Carlsen have
shared frosty relations ever since, with the previous concentrating on the five-time world champion within the latest ‘denims scandal’ and accusing him of attempting to damage his life.

High names breeze via first spherical of Grenke Chess Freestyle Open

Arjun Erigaisi and Fabiano Caruana are among the many different huge names in motion on the annual chess competition that first came about in 2013 and returned to motion in 2024 after a five-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Niemann has received each of his video games to this point, defeating Germany’s Andreas Ciolek and Russian Grandmaster Andrei Deviatkin within the first two rounds of the occasion.

There have been any surprises so far as the opposite boards had been involved both, with the opening spherical witnessing Carlsen, Caruana, Erigaisi and the opposite prime names dealing with low-ranked gamers with an Elo Ranking within the 2200-range.

The first couple of minutes as Magnus Carlsen takes on 15-year-old Vaclav Finek in Spherical 2 of the Grenke #FreestyleChess Open! pic.twitter.com/Ty3UuEIPZ4

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 18, 2025

The Freestyle occasion is being held concurrently alongside the Grenke Chess Open, which occurs to be among the many world’s greatest open occasions.

The event is being carried out in a nine-round Swiss system with a 90+30 time management, through which the winner will earn a spot within the subsequent occasion of the Grand Slam Tour – in Las Vegas, USA in July.

The occasion additionally carries a prize cash of €225,000, with the winner pocketing €60,000. Grand Slam Tour factors are additionally on supply, with the winner being awarded 25 factors and the runner-up 18.