Press release by Freestyle Chess
Paris, March 2025 – The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 is making its next stop in Paris! From April 7 to 14, twelve of the world’s top chess grandmasters will compete for the second Grand Slam title of the year, following a thrilling debut in Weissenhaus, where German’s Vincent Keymer secured victory on home soil. With a $750,000 prize pool at stake, including $200,000 for the winner, the competition promises high stakes and intense battles.
A prestigious venue and innovative format
The tournament will unfold at the Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy in Paris, nestled in the historic Bois de Vincennes. This will be the first Freestyle Chess Grand Slam to feature 12 participants. The event will begin with a two-day round-robin phase, from which eight players will advance to the knockout stage. The final six days will see classical time-control matches, intensifying the drama.
Star-studded lineup
With 11 out of 12 players confirmed, the tournament will feature some of the biggest names in chess, including world number one Magnus Carlsen and reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. The lineup also includes Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa R., Hans Niemann, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Who will claim the 12th Spot?
For five players, this marks their Freestyle Chess debut. French stars Firouzja and Vachier-Lagrave will enjoy strong home support, much like Keymer did in Weissenhaus. The final player will emerge from an open online qualification event – one of the highest-paying online chess tournaments, with a record $50,000 prize pool.
- March 8-9: Open rounds on Chess.com
- March 12: Swiss-system tournament for all titled players
- Knockout Stage: Top four from Swiss stage join 12 invited members of the Freestyle Chess Players Club to compete for the final Paris seat
Beyond Paris: The action continues
Shortly after Paris, the grenke Freestyle Chess Open will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany (April 17 to 21), set to break participation records. Several Paris contenders, including Carlsen and Keymer will compete for the $225,000 prize pool. The event’s winner will qualify for the next Grand Slam in the United States (July 17-24), escalating the excitement further.
Freestyle’s Chief Chess Officer Sebastian Siebrecht:
The Keymer Variation – 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3
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.
Amateur and elite chess come together at the grenke Freestyle Chess Open! I’m thrilled that most players of the Freestyle Chess Players Club have accepted our invitation, making Karlsruhe the strongest tournament ever held on German soil, embedded in a festival with thousands of participants. This will be a landmark event for Freestyle Chess.
Vincent Keymer | Photo: Stev Bonhage
Freestyle Chess: A new era begins
The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, launched in 2025 by Hamburg-based Freestyle Chess Operations GmbH, spans six tournaments across at least three continents. Co-founded by Magnus Carlsen, this series revolutionizes classical chess by randomizing the back-rank starting positions – eliminating memorized openings and promoting creativity, strategic depth, and dynamic play. Fresh, unpredictable, and thrilling – Freestyle Chess is redefining the game for players and fans worldwide.
The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam 2025 began with a spectacular debut in February at Weissenhaus, exceeding all expectations and proving the immense potential of this new format. Freestyle COO Thomas Harsch had this to say about the kickoff event:
The reach of this event has been incredible—almost three times as much as last year! On top of that, the Community Stream was a tremendous success, showing how powerful this format can be in making chess more accessible. It’s amazing to see the growing passion for Freestyle and the energy of the community behind it.
Now, the excitement carries over to Paris, where the Grand Slam builds on this momentum, bringing the world’s best players and a rapidly expanding audience together for the next chapter of Freestyle Chess.