Hamburg/Weissenhaus, June 29, 2026 — The next two players in the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship line-up are confirmed: Pranav Venkatesh (India) and Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) have qualified through the first part of the 2026 Freestyle Friday Championship.

After 19 weeks of online play, Pranav finished first in the Open standings with 60 points. In the Women’s standings, Muzychuk topped the field with 88 points. Both players have now secured their places in the 2027 World Championship at Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort in northern Germany.

The 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship will feature eight players in each competition. Five places are now confirmed in both fields.

In the Open category, Pranav joins Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Vincent Keymer. In the Women’s category, Muzychuk joins Bibisara Assaubayeva, Harika Dronavalli, Alua Nurman, and Dinara Wagner.

The Women’s World Championship will take place from February 5 to 7, 2027. The Open World Championship will follow from February 12 to 14, 2027. Both events will be held in Weissenhaus, Germany.

The Freestyle Friday Championship will continue after the summer break. Its second part will decide another qualification spot in both the Open and Women’s categories.