(Paris) Bored by the classic circuit and supported by a patron, the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, chess star of which he has been the best player for ten years, is the leading figure of a movement which wants to stimulate new competitions.
Assisted by the rich German entrepreneur Jan-Henric Buettner, Magnus Carlsen, 33, wants to bring back to light a variation of the game, 960 chess. The most famous grandmaster in history, the American Bobby Fisher, was notably fan.
In 960 chess, the rules are identical. But the starting position of the pieces, which are located behind the row of pawns such as the king, queen or rooks, is chosen randomly from around 960 possible combinations. It is therefore useless for players to try to memorize the first moves of each game by heart, as currently in chess. The organizers promise more open games with more errors and twists.
This variant “is a small revolution. This throws all the game theories we learn into the air. It’s interesting, but also difficult, because it takes us out of our comfort zone,” Georgian player Keti Tsatsalashvili told AFP.
If the variant spreads widely, according to her, this could transform the world of chess as much as the new practices on the internet which developed at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the rise of the online tournament with more endowments.
Like ATP
But this is not the only innovation brought by Magnus Carlsen: the tournaments are played in two stages with qualifications then final phases in direct elimination and playing times are reduced.
The Norwegian, who holds 17 world championship titles at all paces, has long criticized current formats, particularly the long games for the most prestigious title.
He voluntarily gave up his world title in 2022 and refused to participate in the Candidates tournament which must designate in April the challenger of his successor, the Chinese Ding Liren.
To build his revolution, Magnus Carlsen invited eight of the best players in the world in February for a tournament in 960 at Weissenhaus in Germany, in a luxurious property owned by his patron.
In mid-March, he moved up a gear and announced a circuit with five tournaments between the end of 2024 and 2026. The 25 best active players in the world rankings were invited and responded favorably, no doubt also attracted by the well-funded prizes. higher than in classic tournaments, with the ambition of reaching a million dollars at stake in the last tournaments.
The objective is to make them “as commercially successful as the ATP for tennis” described its German sponsor in a press release.
Which audience?
The movement takes place outside the official circuit, managed by the International Chess Federation (Fide).
“I called Jan-Henric Buettner several times and we got off to a good start for, I hope, future cooperation. We are still in discussions,” Emil Sutovsky, Fide president, told AFP. “It’s good to have new energies, it helps everyone progress. »
Despite the financial and technical resources put in place, Freestyle Chess has yet to prove itself to chess enthusiasts.
“When listening to a 960 competition from afar, even I sometimes had a little trouble following,” explains Keti Tsatsalashvili, who was among the hundred best players in the world.
“I find that the game is more complicated than chess, which can be prohibitive for beginners,” confirms Kévin Bordi, host of the main chess channel in France on the internet, Blizstream.
“As a lover of classical chess and seeing that for years we have lacked good formats, I am happy to have these people, but I also say to myself that with so much money and good ideas, it is a shame not to go through the failure box,” he says.