FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026- Group Stage: Magnus Carlsen dominates the field
Magnus Carlsen dominates the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026. In the group stage, Magnus scored 4.5/7 points to secure first place in the round-robin event, and as a reward, he got the chance to choose his opponent for the semi-finals. The other 3 players who secured the position in the top 4 are Vincent Keymer, Fabiano Caruana, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Magnus will take on Nodirbek in the semifinals today, while Vincent will face Caruana. Arjun Erigaisi won a beautiful game against Carlsen, but he lost his last game against Fabiano Caruana, and with it, the possibility of him becoming FIDE Freestyle Chess World Champion this year is over. The semifinals will be played on Saturday, February 14, at Local Time 3:00 pm CET/ 7:30 pm IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy/Chessbase India
Arjun vs Sindarov, Hans vs Levon
After 7 Games on the first day of the group stage, it's Magnus Carlsen who secured first place and chose his opponent, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, for the semifinal match. Vincent Keymer and Caruana Fabiano will be playing the other semifinal match.
For the 5th place in the lower bracket, Hans Neimann chose Levon Aronian to be his opponent. Arjun Erigaisi and Javokhir Sindarov will be playing against each other for 5th place.
Magnus Carlsen vs Javokhir Sindarov, Round 2
White to play, find the best move
In the second round of the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026, Magnus Carlsen and Javokhir Sindarov faced each other. The game was moving towards a draw in a Rook-Pawn endgame, but on the black side, Javokhir decided to play 49....d4. It turned out to be a game-losing move, as Magnus just promoted his Queen on g8, threatening checkmate in 1 move on b7. Javokhir could have played his pawn to b6 to avoid this little one-move threat.
Arjun Erigaisi vs Magnus Carlsen, Round 6
Playing with the white pieces, Arjun played a perfect game against Magnus. Arjun got a big advantage in the opening, as you can see in the position, Arjun's pieces are perfectly placed to attack Magnus's King. Arjun played the calm and cool 23.Kh1 to move away from the pin and finished the game in the next 5 moves with style.
Although Arjun missed the chance to win the title of FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026, as he lost his last round game against Caruana, he will be fighting for 5th place today.
Fabiano Caruana vs Arjun Erigaisi, Round 7
Going into the last round, both Arjun Erigaisi and Fabiano Caruana were 3/6, and it was clear that the one winning this match could qualify for the semifinals or at least force tiebreaks. But in the game, Caruana clearly dominated Arjun. The position above is the perfect example of understanding the situation that Arjun with the black pieces is facing here. Caruana, playing with the White side, got a great space advantage, and Arjun's position is just way too cramped to play. With this game ending in 32 moves, Arjun's chances of becoming the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Champion this year are also over.
Levon Aronian vs Magnus Carlsen, Round 3
This game is the perfect example of the Magnus effect. Aronian was crushing Magnus in this game after losing his first 2 games in a row, but Magnus showed resistance and defended the position with low time on his clock and eventually won the game. In the above position, Aronian could have simply captured the pawn on c5 with his knight, followed by Ba3, but he decided not to do that. The game attached below proves why Magnus is still the best in the business.
Moments between the rounds
Photo Gallery by Aditya Sur Roy: Here
An Exhibition Match today: Alexandra Kosteniuk vs. Bibisara Assaubayeva
The Venue: Weissenhaus, Germany
Replay all the games from day 1
Final Ranking after 7 Rounds
Rk. | SNo |
| Name | FED | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | Rp | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | GM | NOR | 2887 | 4,5 | 0 | 3 | 14,75 | 0 | 2851 | ||
2 | 8 | GM | GER | 2780 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 13,75 | 0 | 2814 | ||
3 | 7 | GM | USA | 2809 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 2810 | ||
4 | 2 | GM | UZB | 2697 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12,25 | 0 | 2826 | ||
5 | 3 | GM | USA | 2722 | 3,5 | 0 | 2 | 11,75 | 0 | 2773 | ||
6 | 1 | GM | IND | 2732 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 11,5 | 0 | 2721 | ||
7 | 4 | GM | UZB | 2718 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9,75 | 0 | 2723 | ||
8 | 5 | GM | USA | 2786 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6,75 | 0 | 2606 |
Format and Schedule
• Friday, February 13: The tournament opens with a rapid round-robin stage, following the format used in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam events. All eight players face each other once, with a time control of 10 minutes plus a 5-second increment. The top four players advance to the semifinals, while the remaining players move into placement matches.
• Saturday, February 14: The knockout stage begins with the semifinals and placement matches, played with a time control of 25 minutes plus 10-second increment. The semifinals will be played as four-game matches.
• Sunday, February 15: The final, played over four games, and the placement matches use the same 25 minutes plus 10-second increment. In the final, the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Champion is determined.
All final places from first to eighth will be decided over the board. The total prize fund is $300,000, with $100,000 awarded to the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Champion.
Important Link