Historic! Epic! No superlative is too great for Magnus Carlsen

Written by Michael Busse on 22 April 2025.

Historic! Epic! The superlatives for Magnus Carlsen's performance know no bounds. With nine wins in nine games, he delivered an unprecedented tournament performance — and crowned himself the undisputed king of Freestyle Chess.

Final day kicks off with high-profile drawing of lots

The final day of the grenke hess Festival began with the drawing of lots by Jan Henric Buettner, CEO of Freestyle Chess Operations GmbH. Tournament Director Sven Noppes later referred to him during the award ceremony as the "enabler" — as Buettner, together with co-sponsor grenke AG, played a key role in financing this year’s tournament.

Buettner and his wife Holly then drew the starting position from which the Freestyle Chess players would begin their games.

Carlsen shines again – Mamedov with no chance

In his game against Rauf Mamedov, Magnus Carlsen took about twenty minutes for his first two moves — and after the third move, according to commentator Peter Leko, he was already better. Carlsen went on to win the game convincingly, remaining undefeated after eight rounds. Between games, he was followed by autograph hunters — wherever Carlsen appeared, crowds gathered around him like he was a rock star.

Incident in the Garden Hall

A moment of concern occurred in the Garden Hall when a participant suffered an epileptic seizure, leading to a brief interruption of play. Fortunately, paramedics quickly arrived and gave the all-clear. They expected the player to be released from hospital within a day or two.

Svane misses his chance against Nepomniachtchi

Rasmus Svane missed a huge opportunity in his game against Ian Nepomniachtchi. After finding the brilliant move 20. ...Rxf3 (21. Kxf3?? would be met by a knight fork), he gave away his advantage with the error ...e5?? on move 39.

The big finale: Carlsen vs. Keymer

Since Vincent Keymer won his game against Andrey Esipenko, round 9 featured the much-anticipated finale: Magnus Carlsen vs. Vincent Keymer. The starting position was number 140 — described by commentator Lawrence Trent as the "most insane" of all nine rounds.

Keymer kept the game open for a long time, but Carlsen - as Peter Leko put it in the livestream - is “a machine.” Keymer fell into time trouble, and a single mistake (25. ...Nf5??) was enough to tip the balance decisively in Carlsen's favor.

Record-breaking stream numbers

Viewership on the streaming platforms skyrocketed during the game: Over 25,000 followed the chess24 livestream on YouTube, another 15,000 watched on Twitch, and ChessBase India drew more than 3,000 viewers. Social media reactions were overwhelmingly positive.

With 9 points from 9 games, Magnus Carlsen made chess history - surpassing even Bobby Fischer's legendary 11/11 performance at the 1963/64 U.S. Championship, where Fischer faced weaker opposition.

A historic moment: Keymer resigns – Carlsen completes a perfect 9/9

Carlsen in interview: "It’s just incredible"

In his post-game interview with Fiona Steil-Antoni, Carlsen was clearly overwhelmed: "It feels amazing. I’ve never done this before, and I probably never will again. It’s just incredible."

GM norms and winner of the A-Open

The classical A-Open was won by Indian player Aswath S., who achieved a GM norm with his result — as did Leonardo Costa. A total of fifteen title norms were awarded during the tournament.

Festive award ceremony and outlook

The closing ceremony brought the event to a celebratory end. Tournament Director Sven Noppes thanked the sponsors GRENKE and Freestyle, the media, the team of arbiters, the Baden-Baden Chess Center as organizer, the City of Karlsruhe, and all volunteers. It took about an hour and a half to honor and photograph all winners, rating prize recipients, and team competition victors — fitting, as this was the first time in grenke Chess history that six competitions were held in one event.

Christian Bossert (Chairman of the Schachzentrum Baden Baden), Magnus Carlsen, Jan Henric Buettner, Sven Noppes (Tournament Director)

Thanks to all – and hope for a return

Jan Henric Buettner also took the stage once more to thank the top players for their outstanding performances. Whether the tournament will return next year has not yet been decided — but the outlook is promising. The event's exceptional atmosphere impressed everyone involved. Respect, friendliness, and a sense of shared passion for the game prevailed throughout.

The experiment of combining classical and freestyle chess into a single event for both amateur and elite players has been a resounding success.

Many thanks to everyone — and we hope to see you again next year!

Magnus Carlsen and Aswath S Crowned Champions of the grenke Chess Festival

Written by Michael Busse on 22 April 2025.

The grenke Chess Festival has come to an end. After many exciting and at times dramatic games, the official results are in:

Freestyle A-Open: 

The shining winner of the tournament is Magnus Carlsen. With a historic performance of 9 out of 9 points—an achievement he could hardly believe himself—he crowned himself king of Freestyle Chess. Second place went to Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo. Third place was shared by Andrey Esipenko and Frederik Svane.

Maghsoodloo receives the coveted ticket to the Freestyle Grand Slam in Las Vegas as the runner-up. 

Freestyle B-Open: 

An international trio led the standings in the Freestyle B tournament:

Freestyle C-Open: 

The podium finishers in the C competition were:

A-Open: 

In the strongest of the classical tournaments, the A-Open, Indian IM Aswath S came out on top. His outstanding performance also earned him a Grandmaster norm. Second place went to GM Brandon Jacobson (USA). Third place was shared by Ivan Saric (Croatia) and Daniil Yuffa (Spain).

B-Open: 

In the B-Open - the event with the most participants - Joscha Schmitt-Schott from SSV Bruchsal claimed the title, followed by David Ray Sarmiento and Tim Lehmann.

C-Open: 

The top three in the C-Open were Jannik Nies, David Heppert, and Benjamin Singh.

Congratulations to all the winners—and equally, to all the other participants!

Impressions Day 4

Written by Jonathan Reichel on 21 April 2025.

Spectacular Moves and Strong Emotions

Written by Michael Busse on 21 April 2025.

The fourth day of the grenke Chess Festival once again offered plenty of highlights—both on the board and in terms of atmosphere.

A Unique Atmosphere Captured from Above

The vibrant mood in the playing hall was beautifully captured in a drone video—a visual highlight that vividly conveys the spirit of the tournament.

Chess Art at Its Finest: Round 6

The most spectacular moves of the day came in the draw between Ian Nepomniachtchi and David Anton. Between moves 7 and 13, both players sacrificed their minor pieces five times —each one rated as brilliant by the engine. A true masterpiece, even though a few inaccuracies followed later in the game.

A Solid Day for Vincent Keymer

Vincent Keymer had a steady day overall. He drew his game against Aryan Chopra from India and went on to convincingly defeat Armenian grandmaster Sergei Movsesian. Movsesian played such a poor move at one point that he laughed at himself during the game—and resigned shortly afterward.

Drama at the Top Board: Time Trouble Against Carlsen

The day’s big drama unfolded in Round 7: Iranian grandmaster Parham Maghsoodloo had worked his way up to the top board to challenge Magnus Carlsen, who remains undefeated. While Maghsoodloo was under pressure, his position was not lost—until a lapse in concentration caused him to run out of time.

Disappointment and frustration were clearly visible on his face afterward (Photo: ChessBase India).

Exciting Finale in the A-Open

In the A-Open, Indian player Aswath S leads the standings with 6.5 out of 7 points. He is followed by four players with 6 points each: Nikita Vitiugov (England), Mahammad Muradli (Azerbaijan), Valery Kazakouski (Lithuania), and Daniil Yuffa (Spain).

High Tension Ahead of the Final Rounds

Spectators can look forward to an exciting finish: Magnus Carlsen will face Rauf Mamedov (Azerbaijan), while Vincent Keymer takes on Andrey Esipenko (FIDE). Keymer still has realistic chances of securing a coveted spot in the Freestyle tournament in Las Vegas—a spot for which Carlsen is already qualified.

Draw Ceremony with High-Profile Guests

Tomorrow’s draw for the starting positions will be conducted by Jan Henric Buettner and his wife Holly. Through his commitment, Buettner has helped raise the profile of Freestyle Chess to a new level. His Freestyle organization is, alongside grenke, one of the tournament’s main sponsors.