Chess960, also called Fischer Random Chess, was created by famous player Bobby Fischer in 1996. This exciting chess variant mixes up the starting position of pieces, making the game more fun and less about memorizing opening strategies.
At the recent Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Germany, Vincent Keymer surprised everyone by defeating big names like Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, claiming first place at Weissenhaus, a beautiful location. This event was part of the Chess960 format, and it got fans buzzing with excitement.
Unfortunately, for Indian fans, D Gukesh had a tough time and finished in eighth place without winning any games. Magnus Carlsen, the reigning world champion, played impressively before this Grand Slam event.
D Gukesh’s coach, Grzegorz Gajewski, shared his thoughts with ChessBase India, saying many top players struggled at Weissenhaus because Chess960 is very different from regular chess.
Famous chess player Judit Polgar also agreed, explaining, “It’s completely different because you have to think in a new way. You can’t rely on your usual strategies.” She mentioned how players like Gukesh tried new pawn strategies, which made the games exciting and tricky.
Gukesh will participate in the next Grand Slam event in Paris this April, joined by fellow Indian players Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa, forming a strong team!
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