The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has officially ended its dispute with the Freestyle Chess Tour after organisers agreed to remove the term “World Championship” from their regulations.
FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky confirmed the resolution on Tuesday, stating: “Today, February 04, the organisers of the ‘Freestyle Chess Tour’ fully deleted from its Regulations the reference to the ‘World Championship’ title.”
With this change, players competing in the 2025 Freestyle Chess Tour will no longer need to sign a waiver to remain eligible for FIDE’s official World Championship events.
Background of the Feud
The conflict between FIDE and Freestyle Chess, co-founded by World No.1 Magnus Carlsen and German entrepreneur Jan Henric Buettner, centred around FIDE’s stance that the Tour could not market itself as a World Championship event.
Sutovsky reiterated on Twitter: “Freestyle Chess removed ‘World Championship’ from the regulations of their Tour. Hence, players can compete in the series without any restriction.”
Earlier, Freestyle Chess organisers had claimed they offered to pay FIDE $100,000 as a “gesture of goodwill and to avoid harassment,” but FIDE instead demanded $500,000. The governing body also required players participating in the Tour to sign a waiver to retain their eligibility for official World Championship events. Freestyle Chess strongly opposed these demands but ultimately agreed to remove the contested title, allowing players to participate without restrictions.
Carlsen’s Criticism and Anand’s Resignation
Despite the resolution, Carlsen remains critical of FIDE leadership, calling for the resignation of President Arkady Dvorkovich, whom he accused of: “Coercion of players, misuse of power, and broken promises.”
Meanwhile, legendary Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who serves as FIDE’s deputy president, resigned from the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, further highlighting the ongoing tensions.
Freestyle Chess Tour 2025
The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour will feature five legs across different continents in 2025. The first event is set to begin on Thursday, 7 February, in Weissenhaus, Germany.
