Vincent Keymer wins title, secures world championship spot

Freestyle Chess in Karlsruhe

Vincent Keymer wins title, secures world championship spot

Harika Dronavalli, Alua Nurman, and Dinara Wagner Secure World Championship Qualification

Hundreds of people were waiting for the closing ceremony in Karlsruhe. But one game was still running. On board 258 of the grenke Open A, Oliver Steffens and Cedric Pahud continued a rook and knight against rook endgame, long after the decisive results at the top had been recorded. The game stretched on, holding up the entire hall. Only when it finally ended in a draw could the ceremony begin. Only then could the winner be crowned.

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Tournament winner Vincent Keymer with (from left) Oleksandr Bortnyk, Parham Maghsoodloo, Thomas Harsch (Freestyle Chess), Sebastian Siebrecht (Freestyle Chess), Sven Noppes (tournament director) and Christian Bossert (Schachzentrum Baden-Baden). | Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE

Vincent Keymer won the Freestyle Open A at the grenke Chess Festival. The German grandmaster finished level on 7.5/9 with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave but secured first place on tiebreak. His score of six wins and three draws, without a loss, proved sufficient. The victory brings €60,000 in prize money and qualification for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2027.

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Dinara Wagner, Alua Nurman, and Harika Dronavalli will play the FIDE Freestyle Chess Women’s World Championship 2027. | Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE

In the women’s race, Harika Dronavalli of India, Alua Nurman of Kazakhstan, and Dinara Wagner of Germany secured the three qualification spots for the 2027 championship. All three finished on 6 points, ahead of a tightly packed group of eight players on 5.5. The margins remained minimal until the final round, with no player able to separate early. Former world champions Alexandra Kosteniuk and Mariya Muzychuk, who had led the field before the final round, fell short in the end.

The Freestyle events in Karlsruhe featured 577 players in total, with 310 in Open A, 203 in Open B, and 64 in Open C. At the top of the Freestyle Chess Open A, seven players finished half a point behind the two leaders: Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alexey Sarana, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Leon Luke Mendonca, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Aryan Chopra.

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Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played a strong tournament. | Photo: Stev Bonhage/Freestyle Chess

Keymer, who started the day as the sole leader, was caught by Vachier-Lagrave in round 8. The German had built a winning position against Sarana. With little time remaining, he failed to find a forced mate. The game slipped into a draw. Carlsen’s coach Peter Heine Nielsen later described it as “a masterpiece, spoiled in the end, but a very impressive game.” At the same time, Vachier-Lagrave won, drawing level and shifting the pressure onto Keymer.

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Johanna Schmidt, German vice-champion in kickboxing, who uses a wheelchair after an illness, was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis. She was given the honor of drawing the starting positions and opening the 8th round. which went well for Magnus Carlsen. | Photo: Stev Bonhage/Freestyle Chess

Magnus Carlsen stayed within reach but never dictated the tournament like he did a year ago. After his demanding draw against Keymer in Round 7, he described the conditions: “One million degrees in the playing hall. I didn’t feel like having enough oxygen getting to my head at all.” Despite the lack of oxygen, Carlsen won in round 8 and remained in contention going into the final round. But in round 9, Aryan Chopra defended bravely and earned himself a draw against the Freestyle Chess World Champion.

Round 9 saw Keymer and Vachier-Lagrave meet on the top board. The game ended after nine moves. Both players understood the tiebreak implications, but Vachier-Lagrave felt the position had already fizzled out. “It was time to call it a day,” he said. Keymer, still affected by the missed opportunity in the previous round, accepted gladly. He knew he would most likely be ahead on tiebreaks.