Wait is over, D Gukesh lands in Germany for Carlsen’s rebellious ‘Freestyle Chess’ event

The uncertainty over World Champion D Gukesh's participation in the rebellious Freestyle Chess event co-owned by Magnus Carlsen is finally over.

Player and commentator Fiona Steil-Antoni confirmed Gukesh's arrival at Weissenhaus in Germany for the first leg of the Grand Slam Tour with a social media post. Fiona shared a photo of Gukesh in a red blazer for the event set to begin on Friday.

The high-profile event features some of the best players in the world, including the current top four: Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Gukesh. Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Levon Aronian, Vladimir Fedoseev, Vincent Keymer, and Javokhir Sindarov are the other participants.

Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand pulled out when FIDE got into an ugly spat with the hosts, Carlsen and Jan Henric Buettner, in whose luxury resort the opening leg will be held.

Gukesh's camp had been silent about his participation while FIDE and Freestyle Chess fought over the 'World Championship' title for the event. The issue was resolved after the organisers removed the title, leading to FIDE relaxing its restrictions on the participants.

Still, considering Anand's withdrawal, Gukesh's participation was in doubt. But now chess fans look forward to an exciting week of freestyle chess, especially a mouth-watering clash involving Gukesh and Carlsen.

What is freestyle chess?
Freestyle chess, or Chess960 or Fischer Random, is the favourite variant of both Gukesh and Carlsen. Late chess icon Bobby Fischer conceptualised the variant. It involves shuffling pieces on the back ranks, with 960 combinations possible. For example, in a conventional chess position, the rooks are placed on either end, but in Freestyle chess, the rooks might end up in any place along the back rank. Placing pieces in unconventional positions breaks free from theoretical chess, making it more creative and challenging.