A big announcement
Jan-Henric Buettner, the visionary behind the Freestyle G.O.A.T. Challenge earlier this year, has announced that Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana will compete in a freestyle chess match in Singapore. This exhibition will take place a few days before the World Classical Chess Championship between Ding Liren and Dommaraju Gukesh. Buettner made the announcement in an exclusive conversation with Sagar Shah of ChessBase India, adding further intrigue to what is already shaping up to be an exciting time for the chess world.
Earlier this month, Buettner’s new company, Freestyle Chess Operations GmbH, unveiled the first three dates and venues for the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam. These developments underline Buettner’s commitment to promoting freestyle chess, also known as chess960 or Fischer Random. By staging this high-profile match in Singapore, Buettner aims to bring this format to a wider audience, drawing on the star power of Carlsen and Caruana, two of the most important figures in modern chess and rivals for the world championship in 2018.
Carlsen has long been a proponent of changes in chess competitions, often calling for faster cadences and favoring online tournaments. His enthusiasm for Buettner’s vision is evident, especially after helping to raise $12 million for Grand Slam 2025. The first edition of the Freestyle G.O.A.T. Challenge was won by Carlsen, whose nickname “G.O.A.T.” is a direct reference to his status as the greatest chess player of all time.
The World Classical Chess Championship between Ding Liren and Dommaraju Gukesh will take place from November 25 to December 13 at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. Remarkably, Google has been confirmed as the event’s main sponsor, adding even more prestige to this eagerly-awaited match.
