‘Magnus Carlsen does not like it, but he accepts’: Freestyle Chess confirm Hans Niemann’s inclusion, other GMs in favour

The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour has included American GM Hans Niemann in their line-up for the Paris leg.

The ongoing Weissenhaus Grand Slam has taken the chess world by storm, and has also had its fair share of controversies. Adding more fuel to the fire, the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour has added Hans Niemann to their roster for the Paris leg. Niemann revealed on social media that he will be participating in the event in Paris, which is scheduled for April 8-15. Niemann’s inclusion also comes as a surprise for many, considering that he was involved with Magnus Carlsen in a high-profile lawsuit.

Hans Niemann will join Magnus Carlsen at the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam event.(Twitter/FIDE (Maria Emelianova/Michal Walusza))

The lawsuit came after Carlsen withdrew after losing to the American GM at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup. Later, Carlsen accused him of cheating and also claimed that he considered withdrawing from the tournament due to Niemann’s last minute invitation. The lawsuit was also filed against Hikaru Nakamura, who publicly supported Carlsen. In 2023, all parties involved in the legal dispute reached an agreement. Both Carlsen and Nakamura are senior members of the Freestyle Chess Players Club. Meanwhile, the World No. 1 is also co-owner of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour along with Jan Henric Buettner.

The decision to invite Niemann also seems like a smart move by Buettner, as it could increase viewership and interest due to his rivalry with Carlsen. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Buettner agreed that he expects the Paris Grand Slam to draw more attention due to Carlsen and Niemann’s rivalry.

Niemann is also active on X, formerly known as Twitter, with his anti-Carlsen tweets. Also what has surprised many is that Niemann has also been very critical on social media when it comes to the Grand Slam Tour. Through his post, it also appeared that he was siding with FIDE in their ongoing tussle with FCPC regarding official recognition for a Freestyle World Chess Championship. He also retweeted Carlsen’s tweet on FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich, labelling the Norwegian with plenty of negative words. When FIDE released their statement that the Freestyle Chess World Championship hasn’t received official recognition and the FCPC published a letter, he also took indirect digs at the Buettner and Carlsen co-owned organisation.

If Niemann’s earlier tweets were to be believed, fans would have expected him to decline participating at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. But it doesn’t seem so, as Buettner revealed that it was easy to convince the 21-year-old.

Did Magnus Carlsen agree?

Also, other members of the FCPC, including Carlsen, are in agreement with Niemann’s inclusion. “Magnus does not like it, but he accepts the fact that Hans has qualified. So he will be up to the task. Other GMs that I spoke to are in favour of his inclusion”, Buettner added.

Niemann bagged his spot in Paris after winning the 2024 Grenke Chess Open, registering a stunning 8/9 score. The win had originally seen him qualify for the Grenke Chess Classic, the invitational which takes place alongside the Open event. But the tournament got revamped for this year, as the Classic and Open got replaced by two major open events. As the Classic event is not taking place, FCPC decided to invite Niemann for the Paris Grand Slam.

Since his acceptance of the invitation, Niemann has changed his tone on the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. On Thursday, he announced to his followers on X, “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Freestyle Paris edition. Winning the Grenke Open last year was an incredible experience, and I am eager to return to the Freestyle/Grenke Open. No matter what opportunities come my way, I will continue to let my chess speak for itself. Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey.”

The prize money for each Freestyle Chess Grand Slam event in 2025 has been set at 750,000 dollars, and 88 percent of the prize fund (660,000 dollars) will be divided among the ten players, according to their rankings. The GM who wins the event will receive 200,000 dollars, meanwhile the player who comes tenth will get 7,500 dollars. Meanwhile, 12 percent of the prize fund, which is 90,000 dollars, will be divided among the non-playing FCPC members, who have a classical Elo rating of more than 2725 in the month of the event. Also, there will be relation allocation of funds, according to Elo rating above 2725.

The winner of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour will receive prize money after the final event. The winner will get 150,000 dollars, and second, third place will receive 100,000 dollars and 50,000 dollars.

Carlsen failed to reach the finals at Weissenhaus, losing to Vincent Keymer, and is fighting for third place. He will hope to bounce back and clinch the title in Paris. So, the stage is set for an epic showdown between two modern-day chess rivals as Niemann enters the fray in Paris.