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Magnus Carlsen has voiced serious doubts about reigning world champion D Gukesh’s chances at the upcoming Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025. Speaking ahead of the event, the Norwegian Grandmaster suggested that Gukesh could “struggle” to make an impact in the unorthodox format of Freestyle Chess.
Despite becoming the youngest classical World Champion at just 18, Gukesh has yet to prove his mettle in the freestyle version—also referred to as Fischer Random chess, which leans heavily on rapid adaptability and creative play rather than deep preparation.
Paris Leg Set to Test Gukesh’s Versatility
Gukesh enters the Paris tournament after an underwhelming start in the inaugural leg of the tour held in Weissenhaus. He failed to register a single win and finished eighth in the standings, including a loss to Carlsen himself—marking their first encounter since Gukesh's world championship win in December 2024.
Carlsen, one of the co-founders of the Freestyle Chess Tour, didn’t shy away from sharing his analysis. In a Twitch stream with Fabiano Caruana, Carlsen noted that Gukesh might be among those who fail to reach the knockout stage in Paris.
Carlsen’s Prediction: ‘Everyone’s at Risk’
“Everyone’s at risk, of course. But Gukesh, Niemann, Vincent, Maxime… Vidit on paper is going to struggle a bit,” Carlsen remarked, as quoted by Onmanorama. With only eight players advancing to the knockout rounds after a two-day round-robin, every game will carry high stakes.
Top Grandmasters Gear Up for Paris
The second leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 begins on April 7 at the Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy in Paris. The event features 12 elite players, including several top Indian Grandmasters—Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and Vidit Gujrathi—alongside global heavyweights like Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Weissenhaus winner Vincent Keymer.
Notably, Hans Niemann, who recently withdrew from the event, was replaced by Nodirbek Abdusattarov, but will now feature in Paris, returning to the board amid lingering controversy.
Gukesh on criticism
The young champion, however, has taken the criticism in stride. Aware of the nature of high-level sports, he remains unfazed by external opinions. In a recent interview with The Times of India, Gukesh shared his approach to dealing with negativity, emphasizing his focus on personal growth rather than outside noise.
“In my personal view, when you reach the World Championship game, you are bound to face criticism, and people are free to say whatever they want. I will continue to do my job,” Gukesh said. “Also, I’m not on social media, so a lot of negative things don’t reach me easily. But I do come across some negative comments, and they only motivate me.”
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