Tournament started: "A picture that you couldn´t paint more beautifully"
With around 3,000 participants, the grenke Chess Festival has officially started, turning the Karlsruhe Trade Fair into the epicenter of the chess world over the Easter holidays. The largest chess open in the world offers a truly impressive sight— one that visibly moved Tournament Director Sven Noppes during the opening ceremony: “A picture you couldn’t paint more beautifully.”
This major event is made possible through the close cooperation between grenke, the Baden-Baden Chess Center, and Freestyle Chess. Popular chess journalist Fiona Steil-Antoni warmly welcomes the participants in this greeting video on behalf of all partners:
Two Worlds: Classical and Freestyle
At the beginning of the round, the starting position for the Freestyle Tournament was drawn by Britta Wirtz, CEO of Karlsruhe Trade Fair. The draw landed on position 758. Meanwhile, players in the classical open were met with the usual standard starting position, number 518.
A special highlight came from Wolfgang Grenke himself: the longtime chess patron and supporter of Vincent Keymer made the ceremonial first move in Magnus Carlsen’s game. Keymer, following his recent strong performances in Freestyle Chess, once again appeared highly focused.
A Relief for Fans: Hans Niemann Is Here
One of the most frequently asked questions in the lead-up to the event was: Is Hans Niemann playing? After his surprising withdrawal from the Freestyle event in Paris, fans were thrilled to get a quick answer in Karlsruhe: Yes, Hans is here! The American grandmaster made a public appearance and was photographed, among others, with Martina Noppes (Chess Tigers).
Media Buzz and International Presence
Media interest is high: alongside the Freestyle Chess production team, ChessBase India is also on-site, covering top Indian players such as Arjun Erigaisi (pictured) and Aravindh Chithambaram.
Top Stars Deliver – But Amateurs Shine as Well
As expected, the favorites held firm on the top boards: Carlsen, Keymer, Erigaisi, Nepomniachtchi, and other Elo heavyweights all began the tournament with confident wins. Major surprises were largely absent in the first round.
One particularly memorable story came from Vinzenz Hillermann, who had the chance to face Magnus Carlsen. During their joint analysis, Carlsen identified the move 15...c6? as the critical mistake.
Fastest Victory of the Day
The fastest win of the day came from German national team player IM Dinara Wagner, whose game was decided after just eight moves—a lightning victory of the highest order.
Missed Opportunity Against Aronian
Matthias Bach came close to causing a sensation against Levon Aronian, missing a chance to force a perpetual check. After 42. Lxc7 Kxc7, the rook sacrifice 43. Rxb7! would have led to a forced draw (43... Kxb7 44. Qxd7+, etc.). Unfortunately, Bach overlooked this possibility and was ultimately defeated.
Strong Performances in the A-Open
In the A-Open as well, top players such as Awonder Liang, Nikita Vitiugov, and Alexei Shirov had convincing starts. European Champion Aleksandar Indjic, however, was surprisingly held to a draw by underdog Kai-Christian Bruns.
Expert Commentary With Wit and Wisdom
Live commentary is provided by GM Peter Leko and IM Lawrence Trent – a well-rehearsed duo offering deep analysis and entertaining anecdotes. In one screenshot, the duo can be seen analyzing the game of Hans-Walter Schmitt. A longtime promoter and close friend of Vishy Anand, Schmitt was honored for his contributions to Chess960 (Freestyle Chess) by being seated directly behind Carlsen at Board 2.
Looking Ahead
Round two continues on Good Friday at 10 a.m. We wish all participants continued success, exciting games—and above all, enjoyment of the game!
Note: According to the official tournament rules, switching from classical chess to Freestyle Chess is possible until the fifth round. The change must be declared no later than after round 4.
