“Everyone has been waiting for this chess festival”, writes Alex Winkler in a press release from the organisation of the GRENKE Chess Classic and the GRENKE Chess Open. Six international stars, including Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Keymer, will compete in the Classic, which starts tomorrow, Tuesday 26 March, while over 2500 players will take part in the Open. But last-minute entrants can still take part: the registration is still open!
The extensive supporting programme of the Freestyle tournament in Weissenhaus also included boxing training for the players and anyone interested. The training took place under the guidance of Denno Probst and his team from Chessboxing Cologne. Fabiano Caruana was not the only one to have fun. | Photos: Chessboxing Cologne
Jan Henric Buettner, the driving force behind the G.O.A.T. Freestyle Challenge, had promised that the tournament in Weissenhaus would set a new milestone in the presentation of chess. This was indeed the case, and expectations were exceeded. It was the players themselves who had the most fun. The focus was not on opening knowledge, but on creativity and talent. Gregor Poniewasz has collected sounds and pictures from the final day of play.
Jan Henric Buettner is the man behind the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge in Weissenhaus, which starts on Friday and sets new standards in terms of the line-up and the presentation of a chess tournament. In an interview with André Schulz, the successful entrepreneur introduces the tournament: “It’s going to be mega fun!”
From 9 to 16 February 2024, the Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort on the Baltic Sea in Germany will be the venue for a super tournament in "Freestyle Chess", also known as Chess960. Seven world-class players, including world champion Ding Liren and Vincent Keymer, will challenge the G.O.A.T (Greatest of all Times), Magnus Carlsen, in a Chess960 tournament with classical time control.