grenke Chess congratulates the following players on achieving a norm:
IM-Norm:
Pipiras, Filipa Fortuna (POR)
Ernst, Robert (AUT)
Nothnagel, Marian Can (GER)
Brunke, Pascal (GER)
Kurt, Sascha (NED)
Wernberg, Hugo (SWE)
Pillard, Valentin (FRA)
Kovacsy, Barnabas (HUN)
Yildiz, Talat (TUR)
Vincent Keymer has done it – or rather: Win-cent. ♟️🔥
The German grandmaster wins the grenke Freestyle Chess Open, takes home €50,000 in prize money, and qualifies for the Freestyle Chess World Championship in February 2027 in Weissenhaus. French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finishes second and, tied on points, also receives €50,000.
One of the most moving moments of the tournament came from Johanna Schmidt. The German vice champion in kickboxing, who is now in a wheelchair due to illness and has been inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis, was invited to draw the starting position.
📸 Ivica Müller
The drawn starting position No. 332 led to spectacular chess. Magnus Carlsen described it as “maybe the best freestyle position for opening entertainment so far.”
Carlsen himself spent around 1.5 hours on just four moves and later said: “Every game on the stage was absolute fireworks.”
Vincent Keymer also delivered an outstanding performance in this round. His game against Sarana was praised by Carlsen’s coach Peter Heine Nielsen:
“Keymer-Sarana was a masterpiece by Keymer. Spoiled in the end by allowing a draw, but a very impressive game."
In severe time trouble, however, Keymer missed the only winning continuation on move 40 (40. Rxg5+!) and instead played exf7+, steering the game into a draw.
The starting position for the final round (No. 261) was drawn by Radosław Jedynak, President of the Polish Chess Federation.
Vincent Keymer and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave agreed to an early draw – somewhat surprising from the Frenchman’s perspective, given his inferior tiebreak.
But the chasing pack could not take advantage: both Magnus Carlsen vs. Aryan Chopra and Sarana vs. Duda also ended in draws.
As a result, Keymer remained on top and ultimately secured victory thanks to his superior tiebreak score. Behind Vachier-Lagrave, seven more players shared places 3 to 9 on equal points – including Magnus Carlsen.
In the women’s standings, Harika Dronavalli (India), Alua Nurman (Kazakhstan), and Dinara Wagner (Germany) secured the three coveted spots for the upcoming Freestyle World Championship, scheduled for later in 2026.
Nurman, still relatively unknown, had already drawn attention in round two with a selfie alongside Magnus Carlsen. All three scored an impressive 6 points.
from left to right: Wagner, Nurman, Dronavalli
📸 Prajwal Bhat/ChessBase India
In classical chess, IM Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov from Uzbekistan won the A-Open. He narrowly edged out Dominik Horvath (Austria) and Chongsheng Zeng (China). All three scored 8.0 points.
The results of the remaining tournaments were as follows:
B-Open (classical):
B-Open (Freestyle):
C-Open (classical):
C-Open (Freestyle):
While many were already waiting eagerly for the award ceremony, two players apparently had other priorities – calmly continuing their rook and knight vs. rook endgame.
Somehow, that too is “typically grenke.” ♟️
Photos from the award ceremony will be published in the coming days.
📸 Jonathan Reichel
With more than 3,500 participants, the grenke Chess Festival once again confirmed its status as the largest open chess tournament in the world.
Special thanks go to the main sponsors Freestyle Chess and grenke, as well as all partners and supporters who made this event possible.
Wolfgang Grenke; 📸 Linus Bredehorst
Great appreciation is also due to the many helpers working behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly.
“The grenke Chess Festival is the chess tournament that every player must have played at least once in their life.” – Peter Leko
World-class players and amateurs meet here on equal footing – united in one hall. Combined with the ambition to share the positive message of chess and the unique atmosphere of the event with the world, this is exactly what defines the success of the grenke Chess Festival.
And in the end, it becomes clear once again: chess brings people together – across borders, generations, and cultures. ♟️🌍
📸 Dariusz Gorzinski
If someone like Peter Leko says it, it carries weight: “The grenke Chess Festival is an enrichment for the chess world.”
Day four once again delivered plenty of stories and emotions.
Vincent Keymer has been the defining figure of the tournament so far. In the morning round (starting position 131), he defeated Hans Niemann by ruthlessly exploiting a mistake from the American.
18. Rae1? allowed … Nf3+!. Black takes advantage of the pins along the d- and e-files. Commentator Alexander Donchenko described it as a "cheap shot" for the German. After winning the exchange, Keymer converted the game confidently.
An interesting detail about Niemann’s preparation was revealed by Peter Leko during the livestream:
The American deliberately studies recorded conversations from the Freestyle Chess Tour. These are the pre-game discussions between players with the same color, where ideas are developed and variations are explored together. Niemann compiles and analyzes these sequences systematically as part of his preparation.
Another remarkable story comes from German GM Daniel Hausrath. With a rating of 2440 and ranked 1133 in the world, he switched from classical chess to the Freestyle Open after a strong first half of the tournament.
That decision earned him a game on the main stage of the Schwarzwaldhalle against world number four Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Hausrath rose to the occasion and rewarded himself with a draw.
Starting position 549 for round seven was drawn by Wadim Rosenstein, sponsor of Düsseldorfer SK. In his short speech on stage, he referred to the tournament using “we” – a possible hint at future financial involvement.
Round 7 brought the highly anticipated top clash: Keymer as leader against chaser Magnus Carlsen.
📷 Ivica Müller
Before the game, Carlsen praised the young German, saying he enjoys looking at Keymer’s openings at the start of games, as he consistently comes up with interesting ideas in the early phase of Freestyle games.
The game itself was a back-and-forth battle. Keymer had the upper hand at first, before Carlsen took over the initiative. For coach Leko, it was a game “close to a heart attack.” In the end, the players agreed to a draw – a result that clearly favors Keymer.
Vincent Keymer leads the Freestyle Open after seven rounds with 6.5 points, followed closely by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Alexey Sarana, and Pranav with 6.0 points each.
📷 Chess.com
In the classical A-Open, Tong Xiao (China), Andrew Z. Hong (USA), and Dominik Horvath (Austria) share the lead with 6.5 points.
Remarkable: Out of around 3,600 players, only two have won all seven games so far – both in the B-Open: Pavlo Soroka (Ukraine) and Liu Bei (China).
The final day of the tournament is approaching – a moment that always carries a touch of melancholy.
One more day of full focus – for the players as well as for the many helpers behind the scenes. One more day of tension at the boards before the halls slowly begin to empty.
At the same time, anticipation is building for a final day that will provide a fitting conclusion to this tournament. ♟️
