Mon Mar 10 05:40:00 UTC 2025: ## Top Chess Grandmasters Clash in Paris for Freestyle Chess Grand Slam
**Paris, March 2025** – The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 heads to Paris from April 7th to 14th, bringing together twelve of the world’s top chess grandmasters to compete for a $750,000 prize pool. Following Vincent Keymer’s victory in Weissenhaus, Germany, the Paris leg promises even higher stakes.
The tournament, held at the prestigious Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy in the Bois de Vincennes, will feature a unique format. A two-day round-robin will narrow the field to eight players, who will then compete in a knockout stage over the following six days. Eleven of the twelve participants are confirmed, including world number one Magnus Carlsen, reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju, and other chess stars like Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana. Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will enjoy home-crowd support. The final spot will be filled through a high-stakes online qualifier with a $50,000 prize pool.
Freestyle Chess, co-founded by Magnus Carlsen, distinguishes itself by randomizing back-rank starting positions, encouraging creative gameplay and strategic thinking. The Paris event builds on the success of the Weissenhaus tournament, which exceeded expectations in viewership and community engagement.
Following the Paris leg, the action continues to Karlsruhe, Germany, for the grenke Freestyle Chess Open (April 17-21), boasting a $225,000 prize pool and expected record participation. The winner will qualify for the next Grand Slam in the United States.
In related news, ChessBase 18 has been released, offering enhanced chess training and analysis tools including playing style analysis, access to 6 billion Lichess games, and more. Several accompanying video courses focusing on opening strategies are also being offered.
First Piper 