Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, Weissenhaus 2025: Gukesh qualifies for knockout stage; Firouzja, Sindarov claim top two spots

The world champion D. Guksh qualified for the knockout stage in the first event of the Freestyle Grand Slam route, despite losing to the highest rated player in the world, Magnus Carlsen from Norway, in the ninth and last round of qualifications.

With a total number of 3.5 points, Guksh ended a rare event without one win, drawing seven matches and losing two.

However, this was enough to secure the eighth place in the format of ten players, which could be described as one of the strongest chess events, although with an accent when the initial items were changed.

Guksh, playing with White against Carlsen, had several drawing options, but as ambitious as he always pressed on more and finally lost.

Carlsen said: “He (Guksh) performed seven draws, won a bit and lost some, and it should be examined.”

Also read The world champion Guksh loses to Magnus Carlsen on the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam route

Iranian, who became French, Alireza Firouzja and Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan at the top of the table with 6.5 points from the possible nine at Rapid Format, which allowed ten minutes for each player, as well as a ten -secondary increase.

Fabiano Caruana from the United States took third place with 6 points, while Carlsen finished fourth from 5.5 points. Carlsen, after initial failures, managed to provide three wins and one drawing in their last four games.

American Hikaru Nakamura also finished from 5.5 points, 1.5 points ahead of the local representative of Vincent Keymer, who took sixth place.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan and Guksh were drawn in seventh place from 3.5 points, both will advance to the knockout stage.

The last two finalists, Vladimir Fedoseev from Slovenia and Levon Aronian from the United States, will now play ninth place.

This event contains a total pool of 750,000 USD prizes, from USD 150,000 for the general winner of the Great Slam.