Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen scored 4.5 out of 7 points to lead the group stage of the 2026 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship in Weissenhaus, Germany. He chose GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov as his semifinal opponent, with GM Vincent Keymer set to face GM Fabiano Caruana. The top four advance to the knockout phase, while the others compete for fifth through eighth places.
The 2026 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship began on February 13 at the Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort in Germany, featuring an eight-player round-robin at a 10+5 time control in the freestyle chess variant. Only the top four players qualify for the title battle, with a $300,000 prize fund and $100,000 for first place. The group stage concluded with just one point separating first from fifth, ensuring high stakes throughout.
Carlsen, the current FIDE rapid and blitz champion, expressed enthusiasm for the cut-throat format: "I like the fact that it’s cut-throat and it’s not going to be easy to come through for anybody!" He started with a draw against GM Hans Niemann after spoiling a winning position, then secured a victory over GM Javokhir Sindarov when the opponent blundered into a mate-in-4. Carlsen drew with GM Levon Aronian after turning a losing position around, held an intense 87-move draw against Keymer, and won impressively against Caruana in what was described as "endgame magic" by GM Judit Polgar. A rare loss came against GM Arjun Erigaisi in an extraordinary game where Erigaisi made nine pawn moves before capturing a pawn to win. Carlsen recovered with a draw against Abdusattorov to claim sole first.
Keymer, Caruana, and Abdusattorov joined him on 4/7, each with three wins and two losses. Keymer defeated Aronian, Niemann, and Caruana but lost to Sindarov in the final round. Caruana won against Abdusattorov, Niemann, and Erigaisi, despite losses to Carlsen and Keymer. Abdusattorov bounced back from defeats, notably beating Sindarov spectacularly.
Erigaisi, Niemann, Sindarov, and Aronian finished lower. Aronian scored 2/7, attributing it to lack of practice: "I’m just out of practice—I haven’t played for two months and this is the result." He added, "I love the game, I love playing, I don’t care if I’m playing for winning or playing for fifth place, it doesn't matter."
Semifinals on February 14 start at 9 a.m. ET, featuring four 25+10 games per match, with armageddon if tied.
