A storm in a glass of water?
Jan Buettner, founder of the Freestyle Chess Tour, published a new open letter on February 03, this time addressed to FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, in which he expresses his frustration at the way in which FIDE has conducted discussions. In it, he criticizes Dvorkovich’s leadership, denouncing his inconsistency and inability to honor previous commitments.
Buettner recounts a lengthy exchange of messages with Dvorkovich, which initially suggested progress towards an agreement between FIDE and Freestyle Chess. He claims that FIDE abruptly changed course, issuing a public statement rejecting any agreement due to Freestyle’s refusal to recognize FIDE as the sole governing body of the World Chess Championships. Buettner argues that Freestyle Chess made significant concessions, including contributing financially to FIDE events and allowing FIDE to exercise control over various aspects of the tour, but that FIDE’s insistence on absolute regulatory control led to the breakdown of discussions.
Buettner accuses FIDE of forcing players to sign what he describes as a legally dubious waiver, preventing them from participating in chess tournaments without FIDE’s explicit permission. It further criticizes what it perceives as FIDE’s tendency to pressure players, drawing parallels with previous disputes involving Magnus Carlsen and his father. In response, Freestyle Chess announced a ten-month postponement of its decision on the world championship title, stating that its events would henceforth be called the “Grand Slam Tour” in order to avoid putting players in a difficult position vis-à-vis FIDE.
Shortly after Buettner’s letter was published, FIDE issued an official press release on the situation. The organization confirmed that negotiations had taken place, but reiterated that no agreement had been reached due to Freestyle Chess’ refusal to recognize FIDE’s regulatory authority. According to FIDE, the proposed waiver would have granted Freestyle Chess Tour participants an exception to the existing contractual obligations associated with the official FIDE World Championship cycle. However, FIDE maintained that a legitimate world championship must adhere to transparent qualification processes rather than being an invitation-based event.
FIDE reiterated that freestyle chess participants must sign the waiver by February 04 to remain eligible for official FIDE World Championship events. However, FIDE added that if Freestyle Chess removed any reference to a “world championship” from its event, these restrictions would not apply. Despite the ongoing dispute, FIDE has declared itself open to further discussions, provided they are in line with its regulations and governance framework.
But, in a update to this press releaseFIDE informs that:
Today, February 04, the organizers of the “Freestyle Chess Tour” have completely removed the reference to the “World Championship” title from their rules. As a result of this change, players wishing to participate in the 2025 Freestyle Chess Tour are no longer required to sign the waiver.
This may well be the end of the matter. A storm in a teapot? Time will tell…
Please find below Buettner’s open letter and the FIDE press releases of February 03 and 04.
Buettner’s open letter
February 03, 2025
Dear Arkady,
After you sent me all your WhatsApp messages yesterday afternoon and this morning (in the following order – among others – in just 20 hours):
- “I will study quickly, and I agree that if we agree on all the key points, it would be good to sign today.” (Draft press release)
- “Yes, that’s how I understood your proposal.”
- “As the previous steps have been approved by our boards of directors, I’ll need to share the final key points with them, so that they approve (or not) my subsequent actions.”
- “Please put your phone away for 3 hours, as some people are on the other side of the ocean.”
- “I think you’ve done a good job in looking for a solution. We’re much closer to it, but in the opinion of my colleagues, we’re not there yet.”
- “I believe we have a chance of rectifying the situation and I’m ready to continue the dialogue.”
- “I really appreciate your message, I’ll do everything I can to find a solution quickly.”
- “We have a call with the board today to make a decision, so the deadline (for players to sign something) will be moved anyway.”
- “I continue to work constructively on the agreement.”
- “I’ll be in the air for a while in case you see I’m not responding.”
…and while you’re obviously still “up in the air”, FIDE released its statement this morning:
Despite intense negotiations, the FIDE Council declares that there is currently no agreement regarding the Freestyle Tour. This is due to the refusal of the other party to recognize FIDE’s status as the sole regulator of the World Chess Championships and its authority to award a world championship title.
At the very least, this means that you will have to resign your position as President immediately, as you have proved for the third time in the space of two months that you cannot even speak for FIDE. Your lack of leadership will cost FIDE dearly, as all the negotiating points are now made public by this open letter and its attachments.
The rest of this letter is therefore addressed to you and anyone else who is (or feels) in charge of FIDE:
I am writing this open letter after four days of intensive negotiations – with, in the end, an unfortunate feeling of déjà-vu. Once again, I find myself in the same situation as on December 05, after weeks of negotiations and endless exchanges on WhatsApp. On November 27, you even wrote: “I find it hard to interpret your silence”, when I was simply unable to reply for a few hours because I was on a plane.
Throughout this process, I’ve always been responsive and proactive in finding solutions to the issues you’ve raised. – Even today, I work past midnight every day to resolve them. However, on December 05, after telling me that you would get back to me following discussions with your colleagues, you never did.
Instead, FIDE launched a campaign of harassment and intimidation against players – a campaign that continues to this day. The arbitrary deadline of February 03, imposed on players to sign a unilateral document drafted by FIDE’s legal director, is a date you know to be legally dubious (As for Buettner boasts that “Magnus Carlsen (…) has committed to playing Freestyle Chess exclusively as part of the Grand Slam series”… – NOA), particularly in view of FIDE’s dominant market position.
Magnus and Henrik Carlsen had a similar experience in January, realizing that confidence in FIDE’s leadership had eroded. I leave it to Henrik to decide whether to share the value of your personal guarantees with a wider audience.
Today, in less than two months, we are witnessing this pattern for the third time. While you have negotiated “in good faith” with me over the past four days, FIDE has simultaneously continued to pressure players to sign the illegal document before today’s deadline.
This is despite our formal request, on behalf of the players, to extend the deadline to February 15, so that they can concentrate on their games and seek legal advice if necessary. You have not even responded to this letter (attached here for the world to see).
(It seems very logical to us to have the document signed by before the start of the tournament! What sense and what value would such a document signed after this one have? – NOA)
In the interests of full transparency and clarity for the “world” (a word for which FIDE claims the right to demand a license fee), we hereby publish the detailed outcome of our negotiations – the draft press release scheduled for February 03, as well as the mutually agreed “co-regulated” rules and regulations document.
Every word of these seven pages was agreed between Arkady (personally or on behalf of FIDE?) and me on behalf of Freestyle. In this document, Freestyle has made very significant concessions to FIDE, aligning itself with almost all of its stated objectives:
- FIDE’s desired “respect” and recognition of “high standards of communication”.
- Co-regulation of our rules and regulations (those of Freestyle).
- Coordination of calendars and respect for FIDE’s authority on ranking rules.
- Commitment to ensure the participation of 50% non-seeded players in Grand Slam tournaments.
- FIDE represented at the crowning ceremony of the freestyle chess world champion.
- an annual financial contribution of $300,000 for a FIDE-controlled tournament.
Freestyle has accepted all these conditions – although these events are independently financed and organized, with no connection to FIDE. – for the sole purpose of protecting players from other forms of harassment and coercion (see point 7 of the draft press release).
Just a few hours ago, I urged you not to set aside all the progress you have made for FIDE over the past four days because of personal grievances. Despite this, I find myself once again in the same position, holding the finalized results of countless hours of work, now worthless.
No one on our side has understood what FIDE could want beyond what we have already described in these documents – until today, when FIDE published its declaration. Clearly, it was not enough to grant FIDE de facto co-regulation over all aspects of our rules and regulations, nor to include FIDE representation at the crowning ceremony. FIDE now requires Freestyle to officially recognize it as a the sole regulatory body for all chess-related competitions. Will it now claim authority over events such as the Bughouse World Chess Championship?
It is regrettable that FIDE has resorted to coercion, pressuring young and innocent players into compliance. Freestyle is committed to protecting players from FIDE’s questionable tactics. To ensure that no player is put in a difficult position, we have decided to – with immediate effect, as of February 03 – to postpone by ten months the decision to award the title of “World Champion” to the winner of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour.
The final leg of the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour 2025 will take place in South Africa in December. By default, this event will determine the highest-ranked player of the calendar year on the basis of accumulated points. Until then, freestyle tournaments will continue under the name “Grand Slams”, and the entire series will remain the Grand Slam Tour.
This decision guarantees that no player will be forced to choose between signing the illegal letter FIDE is forcing him to sign, or facing the consequences it threatens to bring. To be clear: the current cycle is officially entitled the Grand Slam Touras reflected in the finalized 2025 rules and regulations available on our website.
Publicly, FIDE claims that the freestyle is responsible for the division of the chess world. The reality is quite different: it is FIDE that seeks to exert control over all chess competitions and impose its absolute authority on the players, thus creating the division of the chess world it claims to oppose. Freestyle will contest this abuse before the competent courts.
It has become clear that further negotiations are futile. I am therefore forwarding the communications to Freestyle’s legal counsel.
Yours sincerely, Jan Henric Buettner
FIDE press release of February 03 with update of February 04
In recent days, FIDE has been engaged in extensive discussions with the Freestyle Chess Tour regarding the potential recognition of their event as a world championship. Despite our willingness to collaborate – in particular by offering a waiver to participants in the competition scheduled for 2025, waiving entry fees for the 2025 edition and calling for an end to unfounded accusations against FIDE and against classical chess – no agreement has been reached.
The “Freestyle Chess Tour” has chosen not to recognize FIDE’s existing authority over the World Champion title and has decided to remain a privately organized tournament, featuring mainly hand-picked elite players, rather than an open and transparent qualification process.
A true world championship must be inclusive, with transparent qualification channels that follow FIDE rules and regulations. – which are established with the consensus of the world chess community – as shown by the FIDE World Championship cycle. Without these principles, the integrity of the title is threatened.
In light of the above, players wishing to participate in the Freestyle Chess Tour 2025 event are required to sign the waiver note by 18:00 CET, February 04, 2025, in order to remain eligible for the official FIDE World Championship cycle. We emphasize that this document does not impose any new requirements on players but provides them with a one-time exception to their existing contractual obligations to FIDE.
However, if the “Freestyle Chess Tour” withdraws the “World Championship” title from its event, these restrictions will not apply.
FIDE remains open to collaboration, but we stand firm in our commitment to protect the integrity and history of the World Championship and the chess community as a whole.
UPDATE: Today, February 04, the organizers of the “Freestyle Chess Tour” have removed the reference to the title “World Championship” from its rules entirely. As a result of this rule change, players wishing to participate in the 2025 Freestyle Chess Tour are no longer required to sign the waiver.
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