This isn't just another chess tournament though, with a public spat between Carlsen and the promoters of the FCGT with FIDE in the build-up to the tournament.

Carlsen, the world’s highest-rated chess player since 2010, will take a seat in Weissenhaus, Germany, to compete in freestyle chess, previously known as Chess960 and Fischer Random. The starting position of the back row pieces is randomized, removing a top grandmaster’s lifetime of memorization and theory on how to open a chess game.

D Gukesh came face to face with world No 1 Magnus Carlsen for the first time since he was crowned world champion in December, only to suffer his second defeat of the ongoing Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Weissenhaus thanks to a late blunder.

Just like on the first day, Gukesh was also fortunate to not have more losses to his name. He should've lost the sixth-round match against Fabiano Caruana, too, with the American gaining complete control during the endgame and having a completely winning position, only for one blunder to allow Gukesh to escape with a series of checks.

Magnus Carlsen questioned the validity of classical chess as a measure of skill, favoring rapid chess. Gukesh acknowledged the quality of their championship match, while Carlsen ruled out a title clash.

Magnus Carlsen, a 34-year-old Norwegian, is among the greatest chess players of all time.

The five-tournament series will unfold through the year, with Paris, New York, New Delhi and Cape Town being the other four host cities. It will end with the final competition from December 5 to 12

The 18-year-old reigning classical world champion didn’t win a single game in nine rounds but still managed to sneak into the top eight and qualify for the knockout stage

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