Hans Niemann shows up at Grenke Chess Freestyle Open after last-minute withdrawal from Paris Grand Slam

Hans Niemann was to make his Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour debut in Paris earlier this month, but staged a last-minute withdrawal without offering a proper explanation for the same. The American Grandmaster, however, showed up at the Grenke event, where world No 1 Magnus Carlsen is among the players in action.

American Grandmaster Hans Niemann showed up at the Grenke Chess Freestyle Open in Karlsruhe, Germany on Friday after staging a last-minute withdrawal from the Paris Grand Slam earlier this month. What made his participation in the event more interesting was the fact that he was competing alongside world No 1 Magnus Carlsen, an individual he has quite the history with.

Here’s Niemann showing up on Day 1 of the event at Karlsruhe:

The 21-year-old was scheduled to made his Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour debut in Paris earlier this month, only to mysteriously pull out two days before the event without offering a proper explanation. Uzbekistani GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov replaced him in the lineup while Carlsen went on to be crowned champion, defeating Hikaru Nakamura in the final.

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