NEW DELHI: R Praggnanandhaa has been drawn in the same group as world number one Magnus Carlsen for the upcoming 16-player Freestyle Chess tournament set to begin here on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi will feature in the opposite group.Carlsen, the reigning world No.1, enters the event as the favourite yet again in a tournament that has already generated buzz through several pre-event activities, including participation from NBA players. The main event gets underway late on Wednesday.The tournament boasts a total prize fund of USD 750,000, with USD 200,000 earmarked for the winner. Each group consists of eight players, with the top four advancing to the next stage. The bottom four will compete separately in classification matches.World Champion D Gukesh will not feature in this edition, choosing instead to prepare for the upcoming Grandmaster Tour’s main event scheduled in about a month.The 19-year-old Praggnanandhaa will open his campaign against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who had a difficult outing in the recent Grand Chess Tour leg in Zagreb, Croatia. Carlsen, on the other hand, will take on Germany’s Vincent Keymer, the winner of the inaugural edition of the Freestyle Chess event.Making his debut in the tournament, American Hans Niemann is set to face Arjun Erigaisi in the opening round, while Vidit Gujrathi will lock horns with fellow elite Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana of the United States.
In a first, the tournament will also feature a woman participant—Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva—competing alongside the world’s top male players.Freestyle Chess, also known as Fischer Random or Chess960, is a variant where the starting positions of the pieces are randomized. With minimal opening theory available, the format has gained popularity for encouraging dynamic and combative games right from the outset, reducing the frequency of draw-heavy encounters seen in classical formats.
