After a gathering of its high gamers on Sunday on the Weissenhaus Resort in Wangels (Germany), the Freestyle Chess Gamers Membership has put an finish to the continuing controversy with FIDE. Within the assembly, which additionally included co-owner Jan Henric Buettner, the gamers determined to call the winner of the Grand Slam Tour because the ‘Freestyle Chess Champion’.
D Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen are at present in motion at Weissenhaus.
The primary bone of competition within the controversy was the try by FCPC to call the winner as Freestyle World Champion. However it did not obtain an official recognition from FIDE, and it was adopted by oblique assaults by each events.
To place the controversy to relaxation, all of the gamers collaborating within the first leg huddled collectively for a gathering at 10:30 PM IST, and had been additionally joined by 4 different FCPC gamers on-line, who did not qualify for the occasion. The gamers who joined on-line included R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Freestyle Chess Champion
Talking solely to Hindustan Occasions, Buettner confirmed, “As it had not been in our interest from the beginning (we always called our events “G.O.A.T. Challenge”, or “Grand Slams”), we determined at present unanimously that we are going to crown the “Freestyle Chess Champion” on the finish of our Grand Slam Tour in December of this yr in South Africa. That is legitimate for the present season of 2025, and we are going to then determine on the finish of this yr, if we need to name the winner of subsequent yr’s (2026) Grand Slam Tour a “World Champion”. Most significantly, this determination will likely be made by the Gamers, not by Freestyle, and most undoubtedly not by FIDE.”
“When it comes to the Gamers relationship to FIDE, their repeated calls for that Gamers signal an unlawful doc, by a ridiculously set deadline on the day the match ended, the place most of them had been taking part in (Wijk an Zee) that required them to acknowledge (i) a purported obligation on their half to not compete in a non-FIDE-sponsored chess occasion that crowns a World Champion or another comparable match or occasion; and (ii) that they are going to be banned from future FIDE World Championships within the occasion that they violate that purported obligation, are outrageous. These requests have been transmitted to them (some nonetheless youngsters) by FIDE’s Authorized Director, with out giving them an opportunity to have their very own authorized counsel overview such calls for. Freestyle strongly disagrees with FIDE’s strong-arm ways to coerce chess gamers to forgo their proper to decide on which occasions to play in and we had been able to take needed motion to defend the freedoms of each organizers and gamers within the chess world.
“For now, we agreed at present in our spherical desk, that we are going to ignore FIDE by letting their silly calls for run into vacancy, thereby not inserting the gamers ready of selecting between taking part in in thrilling new occasions or forgoing participation in future FIDE occasions. With a view to keep away from such future strong-arming and pressure-tactics from FIDE, the Gamers will set up an unbiased High Chess Gamers Affiliation that represents their curiosity solely, and that’s staffed with a professional authorized staff to help them in such a scenario”, he additional added.
The gamers collaborating on the Weissenhaus Grand Slam occasion are Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh, Vincent Keymer, Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura, Javokhir Sindarov, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vladimir Fedoseev and Levon Aronian.