 "Why Hikaru Nakamura will not be participating in newly introduced FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship")
FIDE and Freestyle Chess have ended their feud and one more world title has been introduced to the chess world. The FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship will take place next month and eight of the biggest names in the chess world will be participating in the tournament.
The event, which is scheduled to take place from February 13-15 in Germany’s Weissenhaus, will see top players try to grab the championship. Seven of the eight participants for the tournament have already been decided with one spot up for grabs.
Six players — Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, and Javokhir Sindarov — qualified for the tournament qualified based on their results during the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour while Hans Niemann was chosen as the seventh name due to his outstanding performance in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas.
The final name will be decided through an online qualification tournament on January 14 and 15. While the seven qualified players are among the biggest names in chess world, fans did find the absence of world number two Hikaru Nakamura intriguing.
Why is Hikaru Nakamura not in FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship?
Nakamura is currently the champion of the previous form of the world championship in freestyle chess. FIDE had organised two Fischer Random World Championships in 2019 and 2022. Nakamura was the winner of the second tournament and he seems to be content with that.
Jan Henric Buettner, the co-founder and CEO of Freestyle Chess, said that Nakamura was invited but he chose not to participate.
“Actually, he was invited. He would not participate… because he’d rather be remembered as the World Champion in Fischer Random of 2022, rather than competing with seven other players with the unlikelihood that he might get this,” Buettner told the Times of India.
“We had a very good, very polite, very good conversation and total respect and understanding,” he added.
Nakamura, who is aiming to win the Candidates which takes place in March-April this year, is also a popular streamer with more than three million subscribers on YouTube. He has said that he is preparing for Candidates whose winner will get to challenge the reigning World Champion D Gukesh for the title later this year.
 "Iran protests: Nobel laureate warns of 'massacre' as Ayatollah says regime won't back down")
 "Month before Bangladesh votes, Tarique Rahman steps into Khaleda Zia's shoes — officially")
 "'Whether they like it or not': Trump doubles down on his threat to annexe Greenland amid tension with Nato")
 "Watch | Harrowing footage of seconds before Minnesota woman was killed by ICE agent, says 'I'm not mad at you'")
 "Iran protests: Nobel laureate warns of 'massacre' as Ayatollah says regime won't back down")
 "Month before Bangladesh votes, Tarique Rahman steps into Khaleda Zia's shoes — officially")
 "'Whether they like it or not': Trump doubles down on his threat to annexe Greenland amid tension with Nato")
 "Watch | Harrowing footage of seconds before Minnesota woman was killed by ICE agent, says 'I'm not mad at you'")
