Freestyle Chess Players Club Names Winner of Grand Slam Tour as ‘Freestyle Chess Champion’

The Freestyle Chess Players Club has finally put an end to the ongoing controversy with FIDE after a meeting of its top players at the Weissenhaus Resort in Wangels, Germany. The players have decided to name the winner of the Grand Slam Tour as the ‘Freestyle Chess Champion’.

The main bone of contention in the controversy was the attempt by FCPC to name the winner as Freestyle World Champion, which did not receive official recognition from FIDE. To resolve the issue, all the players participating in the event gathered for a meeting, including online participants who did not qualify for the event.

In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, co-owner Jan Henric Buettner confirmed the decision to crown the “Freestyle Chess Champion” at the end of the Grand Slam Tour in December of this year in South Africa. He emphasized that the decision will be made by the players themselves, not by Freestyle or FIDE.

Buettner also expressed disagreement with FIDE’s demands for players to sign an illegal document, which would restrict their participation in non-FIDE-sponsored events. In response, the players have decided to establish an independent Top Chess Players Association to represent their interests and protect their freedom to choose which events to participate in.

The players currently in action at the Weissenhaus Grand Slam event include Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh, Vincent Keymer, Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura, Javokhir Sindarov, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vladimir Fedoseev, and Levon Aronian. The decision to crown the ‘Freestyle Chess Champion’ marks a significant step in resolving the controversy and ensuring the players’ autonomy in the chess world.