 "Freestyle Chess to undergo major format overhaul thanks to Magnus Carlsen and his father")
Big changes are in the line for the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, with the upcoming event set to adopt a shorter time control. The tour’s co-founder, Jan Henric Buettner, announced the new format during the official broadcast of the ongoing Paris leg. He also said that the idea was floated by former world champion Magnus Carlsen and his father, Henrik Carlsen.
Buettner confirmed that the next Freestyle event will feature 45-minute games with a 10-second increment per move, replacing the current 90-minute games with a 30-second increment seen in the Paris leg of the tournament. Buettner said that this adjustment has been implemented at Carlsen and his father’s suggestion.
“Magnus said basically that they, as players, have gained so much in terms of quality that they do not need the 90 minutes anymore. He said they can go with 45-minute games. So that is kind of the decision of Magnus, and I talked to some other players before to see that we have not only Magnus but everybody on board,” Buettner said.
Why is the format changing?
Buettner further revealed that another key motivation behind the change is to make Freestyle Chess more accessible to audiences and sponsors. Buettner acknowledged that maintaining engagement over long four-hour games is a challenge, especially outside of India.
“For a four-hour game, it is very difficult to get an audience if you are not in India,” Buettner noted.
The compressed time format is also designed to shorten the overall event. Instead of the current eight-day structure, the tour will now see a five-day model. Under the new system, players will compete in both legs of a round on the same day, playing two 45-minute games rather than spreading the matches over two days.
Buettner also revealed that the next leg of the Freestyle Chess Tour will be hosted in Las Vegas, instead of the previously planned New York location. He also confirmed that the event will have a live audience.
As far as the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Tour is concerned, Magnus Carlsen, along with Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Vincent Keymer, has qualified for the semi-finals. They are currently playing Game 2 of the semi-finals after drawing their opening games on Friday. Carlsen is playing Caruana, while Nakamura is locking horns against Keymer.
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