Freestyle Chess co-founder reveals why Viswanathan Anand quit Grand Slam Tour: 'He chose to become...'

The legendary Viswanathan Anand recently pulled out of the upcoming Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour amid a dispute between the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the organisers of the Freestyle Chess tournament. Anand was initially set to compete in the inaugural leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tournament in Germany that starts from 6 February.

The FIDE and Freestyle Chess, co-founded by Magnus Carlsen and Jan Henric Buettner, have been at loggerheads for more than two months over the use of the term “World Championship”. The FIDE had initially agreed to include the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour as part of its 2025 calendar, but problems between the two parties arose after FIDE learnt of Freestyle Chess’s intention to present their tournament as a World Championship.

‘It was my idea to invite him’: Buettner on Anand joining Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour

Buettner admitted that it was his idea to invite Anand, a five-time world champion, to the Freestyle chess tournament and the Indian GM happily accepted the offer. “It was my idea to invite him in the first place because I thought it was a great opportunity,” Buettner was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

“I gave him a wild card for Germany, and he accepted very happily. I also met him personally in London for lunch, and we had very good communication. We know each other quite well. He’s a very, very nice person," he added.

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However, things became complicated after Anand became the deputy president of FIDE.

“But then, for some reason, he chose to become the FIDE Vice President. I don’t know if it’s the wisest decision—having an official role in FIDE," he said. “But Anand has made it, so now he is also standing for the FIDE position," added the German entrepreneur.

‘What happened in New York…’: Buettner on disagreement between Anand and Carlsen 

Buettner also noted the disagreement between Anand and Carlsen. Carlsen had taken a dig at Anand amid the former’s jeans controversy, stating that Anand was unfit to stay as FIDE deputy president, adding that "long conversations" with the Indian failed to lead anywhere.

“What happened in New York was that he saw it wasn’t so fortunate when he was in charge because Arkady was not there," said Buettner. “We had this jeans issue, which led to Magnus not saying very nice things about him," he added.

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Buettner admitted that the organisers approached Anand in a bid to resolve the issues.

“We communicated with him and asked, ‘What if Magnus apologises for his comments?’ But in the end, he said he felt more comfortable not participating,” he said.

Five legs of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour will be played worldwide in 2025, with the first leg starting next week in Germany. It will be followed by tournaments in Paris (8-15 April), New York (17-24 July), New Deli (17-24 September) and Cape Town (5-12 December).

However, the Times of India reports that the Indian leg of the tournament could be shifted from New Delhi to another venue due to a lack of interest among investors in the national capital. The tournament organisers are also hoping to term the season finale in Cape Town as a “world championship”, but the FIDE has still not agreed to it.

The newspaper adds that both parties are in talks regarding the use of the World Championship term, with the hope of reaching a decision before December.