Grenke Chess Festival 2026 R1-R3: Magnus, Nepo, Hans gets the winning start

by Devansh Singh - 04/04/2026

The Grenke Chess Festival 2026 has started, with more than 3,500 participants playing in Karlsruhe, Germany, making it the biggest chess tournament in the World. The Festival consists of two formats played in 3 different groups: Freestyle Chess Open A, B, and C, and Classical Open A, B, and C, in which all the World's best players are taking part. After 2 days of play and completion of 3 rounds, Magnus Carlsen is on 3/3 and co-leading the Freestyle Open with Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hans Niemann, MVL, and 15 other players who are on full points. The Participants were welcomed with a film showing highlights from last year, accompanied by the European anthem, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” Round 4 will start on 4th April at 10 am Local time and 13:30 IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Qualifier for FIDE Freestyle World Championship

The winner of the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open (A) qualifies for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027. If the winner is already qualified, the qualification place shall be awarded to the highest-placed player in the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open who is not yet qualified.
The three highest-placed female players in the A-Open qualify for the FIDE Women’s Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026. Qualification is conditional upon full participation in the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open.

Ian Nepomniachtchi in action

Round 1

The opening ceremony, hosted by Fiona Steil-Antoni, featured the random selection of the starting position for the Freestyle competition. Christian Bossert drew position number 906. Many top players find this new format a welcome change of pace. In an interview with ChessBase India, Hans Niemann remarked, “I’ve never been so relaxed in my life.”

Position No. 906

Magnus Carlsen secured a comfortable win against Narmin Khalafova

Watch the commentary by IM Sagar Shah | Video: ChessBase India

In the first round of the tournament, there were no big upsets, and all top seeded players won their games smoothly. Only Levon Aronian drew his game against Aleksander Kumala.

Jan-Krzysztof Duda comfortably won his first game

Levon drew his game against Aleksander Kumala.

Replay available games of round 1

Round 2

The event kicked off with a clear message of unity, set to the song “Zusammen” (Together) by Die Fantastischen Vier. This choice perfectly captured the festival’s atmosphere, as thousands of players and fans of all ages gathered from around the globe, brought together by their common love for chess. Michael Rütten, a member of the arbiter team, drew the starting position number 247.

Position No. 247

A funny incident happened when Kazakhstan's No. 2 Woman, Alua Nurman, took a selfie with her opponent, Magnus Carlsen, before the start of Round 2. Before the start of the round, an Arbiter came and took Alua's phone with him.

Check out the final moments of Magnus Carlsen defeating Alua Nurman with the Black pieces in Round 2 of the Grenke Freestyle Open A 2026! We show you Magnus leaving the hall, Alua meeting fans, and a detailed post-game interview with Alua where she shares her experience.

Nihal scored a comfortable win in the second round

Games in action

Vincent Keymer is on 3/3 points

Luke Leon Mendonca is also on 3/3

Replay available games of round 2

Round 3

For Round 3, starting position number 53 was selected. The tournament frontrunners, Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Hans Niemann all lived up to expectations with decisive victories.

Position No. 53

Magnus won his 3rd game against Maxime Lagarde

Harika Dronavalli is on 3/3 after winning against Awonder Liang

Happy Mood

Hans won his game against Olexandr Bortnyk

Replay available games of round 3

Photo Gallery: Here

Legend: Artur Mayakovich Yusupov

Can Magnus repeat 9/9?

Nihal is always popular with fans

Tournament Hall at The Kongress Hall in Karlsruhe, Germany

Games in action

Check out this panoramic view of the players

Do you need any books???

Abdusattorov is always surrounded by fans

Wolfgang Grenke, the namesake of the main sponsor, as well as a representative of Grenke AG, also addressed the participants. The roots of today’s tournament go back to a meeting between Grenke and Christian Bossert in 1997, which laid the foundation for top-level chess in Baden-Baden and Karlsruhe. For the second main sponsor, Freestyle, GM Sebastian Siebrecht welcomed the players.

Video Gallery: ChessBase India

Enjoy some behind-the-scenes raw moments from Round 1 of the Grenke Chess 2026 | Video: ChessBase India

Enjoy some behind-the-scenes raw moments from Round 2 of the Grenke Chess 2026 | Video: ChessBase India

Enjoy some behind-the-scenes raw moments from Round 3 of the Grenke Chess 2026 | Video: ChessBase India

Hans Niemann is off to a great start at the Grenke Freestyle Open 2026 with 3/3 points - defeating GM Oleksandr Bortnyk in the 3rd round! We caught up with Hans after the game for an interview - he talks about the game, preparation, and the ongoing Candidates tournament | Video: ChessBase India

Important details

The Grenke Freestyle Chess Open is a classical-standard tournament utilizing the Freestyle Chess (Chess960) format. It functions as a critical qualification pathway for both the 2026 FIDE Freestyle Women’s Chess World Championship and the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship. Held in conjunction with the traditional Grenke Chess Open, this event follows a nine-round Swiss system. Participants compete under a time control of 90 minutes for the full game, plus a 30-second increment per move. The tournament boasts a substantial prize pool exceeding 200,000 euros.

Schedule

Opening and 1st round: Thursday, 2nd April 2026, approx. 6:30 pm
2nd round: Friday, 3rd April 2026 at 10 am
3rd round: Friday, 3rd April 2026 at 4 pm
4th round: Saturday, 4th April 2026 at 10 am
5th round: Saturday, 4th April 2026 at 4 pm
6th round: Sunday, 5th April 2026 at 10 am
7th round: Sunday, 5th April 2026 at 4 pm
8th round: Monday, 6th April 2026 at 10 am
9th round: Monday, 6th April 2026 at 4 pm
Award Ceremony: After the last round

Prize Fund: EUR 205,250

1. EUR 60,000 + Trophy 2. EUR 40,000 3. EUR 30,000 4. EUR 20,000 5. EUR 10,000 6. EUR 8,000 7. EUR 7,000 8. EUR 6,000 9. EUR 5,000 10. EUR 3,000 11. EUR 2,000 12. EUR 1,000 13. EUR 500 14. EUR 300 15. EUR 200

Watch Live Streams

Watch Round 1 Live Commentary by GM Harshit Raja and IM Soumya Swaminathan | Video: ChessBase India

Watch Round 3 Live Commentary by GM Harshit Raja and IM Soumya Swaminathan | Video: ChessBase India

Venue: The Kongress Hall in Karlsruhe, Germany

The Kongress Hall in Karlsruhe, Germany, is the venue of the Grenke Open 2026. It is going to be the home of 3000+ players at the event playing across 6 sections: Classical Open A, B, C, and Freestyle Chess Open A, B, and C categories. We bring you a venue tour of the place. Check out the video and be amazed at how the organizers have managed to arrange things under one roof.

The Kongress Hall in Karlsruhe, Germany

Venue Tour | Video: ChessBase India / Abhyudaya Ram

Rank after Round 3 in Freestyle A

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	RtgI	RtgN	Club/City	Pts.	TB1
1	2	GM	Nepomniachtchi, Ian	RUS	2771	2771	0		3	6
2	1	GM	Carlsen, Magnus	NOR	2888	2888	2841	FC ST.Pauli 1910 eV SAbt	3	5,5
	4	GM	Niemann, Hans Moke	USA	2760	2760	0		3	5,5
	13	GM	Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime	FRA	2700	2700	2709	OSG Baden-Baden	3	5,5
5	9	GM	Abdusattorov, Nodirbek	UZB	2716	2716	2821	SC Viernheim 1934 e.V.	3	5
	12	GM	Sarana, Alexey	SRB	2702	2702	2655	SC Viernheim 1934 e.V.	3	5
	14	GM	Yakubboev, Nodirbek	UZB	2689	2689	0		3	5
	15	GM	Maghsoodloo, Parham	IRI	2687	2687	2751	SC Viernheim 1934 e.V.	3	5
	20	GM	Tabatabaei, M. Amin	IRI	2661	2661	2704	FC Bayern München e.V.	3	5
	22	GM	Murzin, Volodar	FID	2655	2655	2599	Düsseldorfer SK 14/25 e. V.	3	5
	25	GM	Chigaev, Maksim	ESP	2647	2647	2590	Sfr. Wolfhagen e. V.	3	5
	26	GM	Vokhidov, Shamsiddin	UZB	2641	2641	2651	OSG Baden-Baden	3	5
	29	GM	Jobava, Baadur	GEO	2625	2625	0		3	5
	38	GM	Bok, Benjamin	NED	2560	2560	0		3	5

Details

Round 4 Pairings

Bo.	No.		White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Rtg	No.
1	20	GM	Tabatabaei, M. Amin	2661	3		3	GM	Carlsen, Magnus	2888	1
2	2	GM	Nepomniachtchi, Ian	2771	3		3	GM	Maghsoodloo, Parham	2687	15
3	4	GM	Niemann, Hans Moke	2760	3		3	GM	Mendonca, Leon Luke	2676	17
4	26	GM	Vokhidov, Shamsiddin	2641	3		3	GM	Abdusattorov, Nodirbek	2716	9
5	22	GM	Murzin, Volodar	2655	3		3	GM	Keymer, Vincent	2754	5
6	10	GM	Fedoseev, Vladimir	2716	3		3	GM	Chigaev, Maksim	2647	25
7	12	GM	Sarana, Alexey	2702	3		3	GM	Jobava, Baadur	2625	29
8	38	GM	Bok, Benjamin	2560	3		3	GM	Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime	2700	13
9	14	GM	Yakubboev, Nodirbek	2689	3		3	GM	Dronavalli, Harika	2470	57
10	6	GM	Duda, Jan-Krzysztof	2739	2½		3	IM	Kamalidenova, Meruert	2389	83
11	47	GM	Henderson de La Fuente, Lance	2510	2½		2½	GM	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	2731	7
12	8	GM	Nihal Sarin,	2723	2½		2½	GM	Kaidanov, Gregory	2491	51
13	50	IM	Grieve, Harry	2493	2½		2½	GM	Pranav, V	2657	21
14	52	IM	Deuer, Marius	2490	2½		2½	GM	Saric, Ivan	2654	23
15	64	IM	Wagner, Dinara	2453	2½		2½	GM	Aryan Chopra,	2629	27