Magnus Carlsen says he can’t wait to play ‘classical’ World Champion D Gukesh

It is unsurprising that Magnus Carlsen is everyone's favourite opponent at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour set to begin at Weissenhaus in Germany today. But the World No. 1 has revealed that he is eager to play the reigning World Champion, D Gukesh.

"I'm very much looking forward to playing the classical World Champion," Carlsen told Sagar Shah of Chessbase India in a freewheeling chat at the venue. The freestyle event features 10 exciting players, including the current top-four in the world comprising Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Gukesh and Fabiano Caruana.

The first two days of the week-long event will feature rapid games to be held in the round-robin format. The top-eight finishers will advance to the quarterfinals to be played on February 9 and 10. The semifinals are scheduled for February 11 and 12, while the finals will take place on February 13 and 14.

Carlsen will play Nakamura in the first round, while Gukesh has been paired against Uzbek star Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The dream clash between Carlsen and Gukesh won't come any sooner as it is scheduled for the last round (nine) set to be begin around 8.30 pm on Saturday.

Interestingly, Gukesh beat Carlsen when they met in round one of the 'Freestyle Chess' event last February. But Carlsen went on to win the title, while Gukesh finished sixth. Last December, Gukesh defeated China's Ding Liren to become the youngest World Champion. Carlsen, who won five classical world championships, no longer plays for it.

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.