Freestyle Chess 2025: D Gukesh remains winless; Magnus Carlsen loses thrice as Javokhir Sindarov shines on Day 1

NEW DELHI: The 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam kicked off at Weissenhaus on Germany’s Baltic coast, with Chess960 taking centre stage on Friday. The tournament, featuring top grandmasters, serves as a preliminary rapid event to determine the eight players advancing to the knockout phase.
Indian GM D Gukesh, the youngest-ever World Chess Champion, endured a challenging opening day.
The 18-year-old began with a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov but suffered a loss to Alireza Firouzja in the second round.
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A promising start against veteran Levon Aronian ultimately ended in another draw. Gukesh narrowly avoided defeat against the standout performer of the day, Javokhir Sindarov, salvaging yet another draw, followed by the same result against Hikaru Nakamura.
It was a mixed day for the Tata Steel Masters runner-up, leaving him still in search of his first victory.
Entering the tournament as the replacement for Viswanathan Anand, Sindarov emerged as the star of the day, delivering an impressive 4.5/5 score. His standout moment came with a win over Magnus Carlsen in their first-ever over-the-board encounter.
Sindarov came close to a perfect 5/5 but had to settle for a draw against Gukesh.

As a last-minute replacement for Anand, the Uzbek GM exceeded expectations and secured his place in the knockout stage alongside Fabiano Caruana, the joint-topper on the leader following the opening day of action.
The tournament follows a Formula 1-style points system, with the ultimate Grand Slam champion being crowned in South Africa at the end of 2025.
Before the classical knockout phase begins, the rapid round-robin event (10 minutes plus a 10-second increment) will determine the top eight players progressing further.
Day 1 featured thrilling encounters, including a high-profile opening-round clash between Carlsen and reigning Chess960 champion Nakamura.

Despite an unusual position where both kings started on b8, Carlsen’s superior endgame skills earned him the win.
Sindarov, after defeating local favourite Vincent Keymer, continued his momentum by besting Aronian and Fedoseev. Meanwhile, Caruana avenged last year’s final loss to Carlsen with a decisive victory.
With Carlsen suffering three losses on the day, his qualification remains uncertain. The tournament continues on Saturday, with three rounds left to determine which two players will be eliminated before the knockout phase begins.