'Everybody can beat Magnus Carlsen… he is not a computer: 10-year-old chess prodigy Ivan Kukushkin

Bulgarian chess prodigy Ivan Kukushkin made the bold statement after collecting his second win against an International Master in as many games at the Grenke Chess Freestyle Open, where world No 1 Magnus Carlsen has already been crowned champion with a round to spare.

The 2025 Grenke Chess Freestyle Open got underway just four days after the conclusion of the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour and enters its final day on Monday. The event has witnessed the participation of some of the biggest names in the chess world, from world No 1 and Paris Grand Slam winner Magnus Carlsen to Weissenhaus champion Vincent Keymer and runner-up Fabiano Caruana.

World No 4 Arjun Erigaisi, who had finished fifth in the French capital on Freestyle debut earlier this month, is also among those in action. As is controversial American Grandmaster Hans Niemann, who finally showed up for a Freestyle Chess event after abruptly withdrawing from the Paris Grand Slam without offering an explanation.

Among the players in action at the event which is being hosted in Karlsruhe, Germany, is a 10-year-old chess prodigy Ivan Kukushkin who has a FIDE rating of 2030 and defeated a couple of International Masters – Germany’s Georg Seul and Canada’s Shiyam Thavandiran, in consecutive games at that.

Continue Reading on FIRSTPOST