Going freestyle: New chess format brings $750K tournament to Las Vegas

Under the bright lights of Wynn Las Vegas’ Lafite Ballroom, eight grandmasters squared off Friday in a first-of-its-kind tournament shaking up the chess world.

The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour is the first worldwide tournament series using the unique “Chess960” rules — the back row pieces’ starting locations are randomized. The tour was halfway through a five-day tournament at Wynn, with $750,000 up for grabs for the top 11 competitors.

“Vegas obviously stands for entertainment and shows and glitz and glamour to a certain degree, all things that we want to bring into the mix,” Freestyle Chess Chief Operating Officer Thomas Harsch said. “And the Wynn is the best hotel in Vegas, as they say. They’ve been great partners in doing this. Everything we do, we try to do it at a really top level.”

The Vegas stop is the fourth and final leg of the tournament, and the only stop in the U.S., before the December finals in South Africa. It’s also the first leg of the tour where viewing is open to the public.

“I like seeing (the freestyle format) because it’s showing the players’ true skill, and it kind of evens the playing field,” said Tim Munyon, a casual chess player who attended the tournament Friday. “Magnus (Carlsen) obviously isn’t killing the tournament like he is in most tournaments.”

Carlsen, a five-time world chess champion, was eliminated from first-place contention in an upset on Thursday. The best Carlsen could achieve is third place after gameplay on Friday, while Levon Aronian, Hans Niemann and Fabiano Caruana are each well-positioned to take the crown — and $200,000 — though Carlsen remains in the lead for total tour points.

Audience members watched the action on large screens suspended from the ceiling — which displayed each player’s heart rate. Attendees listened to the broadcast with wireless headphones provided by the tournament organizers as the players dueled on stage.

Several other factors contribute to an experience wholly unique to freestyle chess: the players have “confession booths” where they often speak directly to the broadcast audience post-match, and the players discuss strategy with each other on stage before the matches. These factors create a more informal, collegial vibe compared with other tournaments, a spokesperson for freestyle chess said.

Developed by Carlsen and entrepreneur Jan Henric Buettner, freestyle chess has quickly developed into a formidable competitor for chess tournaments using more traditional rules.

The Grand Slam Tour raised $12 million in venture capital funding in 2024. Meanwhile, the live broadcasts on YouTube, Twitch, Chess.com and other streams have garnered thousands of concurrent live viewers.

Unlike more traditional tournaments, freestyle chess attempts to attract casual fans through its unique interview formats and live broadcast content, Harsch said. Freestyle chess runs simultaneous livestreams: one for hardcore players and one for casual viewers.

Renea Parr, a casual fan, said she only knew Carlsen and American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura before she attended.

“For me, it’s enjoyable to be here even though I don’t play,” she said.

That formula is part of the tournament’s value proposition, Harsch said. He plans to keep improving the broadcast experience and host a tour every year moving forward.

“We want to become the dominant chess property, the same way that the NBA is in basketball, or the PGA is in golf, or ATP is in tennis,” Harsch said. “We don’t have the players exclusively, so it’s more of a question of what people like to watch and what the players like to play.”

Contact Isaiah Steinberg at isteinberg@reviewjournal.com. Follow @IsaiahStei27 on X.