Gukesh reveals why Freestyle Chess remains a challenge as Indians struggle in Paris leg: 'Much more to calculate'

Indian chess sensation D Gukesh has reflected on his struggles in Freestyle Chess after finishing 11th in the Paris leg of the Grand Slam Tour 2025. Meanwhile, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen clinched the title in Paris after defeating Hikaru Nakamura in the finals.

World Chess Champion D Gukesh has opened up on the complexities that have made Freestyle Chess a formidable test even for an elite player like him. Speaking after a tough outing in the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025, the 18-year-old highlighted why adapting to this unorthodox format has been a challenge for him.

The Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess concluded this week, with
Magnus Carlsen taking top prize. Gukesh, despite registering wins over Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and Vincent Keymer in the round-robin stage, failed to make the quarter-finals. His campaign ended with a defeat to Richard Rapport in the 9th-12th place playoff match, placing him 11th in the final standings.

“I think the most challenging part for me in Freestyle Chess is that everybody can calculate and see tactics. But evaluating positions correctly, that is the most challenging, at least for me. Because a lot of positions and ideas are similar to standard chess but not exactly similar. And something which we think is good might not actually be good. Our intuition is simply not always correct in Freestyle,” Gukesh told Chess.com.

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