Hans Niemann has withdrawn from the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour event, the organisers of the event said late on Saturday night on their social media handles. No reason was given by either the player or the organiser. Nodirbek Abdusattarov was named as a replacement for the American grandmaster. The announcement comes barely 48 hours before the start of the event. Four Indians — Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi — are expected to compete at the event.
Niemann had stated earlier that he was eagerly looking forward to playing in Paris. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Freestyle Paris edition… No matter what opportunities come my way, I will continue to let my chess speak for itself. Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey.”
Niemann has not spoken yet about the withdrawal.
Niemann’s participation in the event in Paris was eagerly anticipated as it pitted him against former world champion Magnus Carlsen, who had accused him of cheating in 2022, which had led to a $100 million lawsuit. There is still plenty of bad blood between both players.
Top players like former world champion and current world no 1 Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana will also be competing at the event in Paris. The other contenders are: Vincent Keymer, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Richard Rapport (who replaced Alireza Firouzja), and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. This will be the first Freestyle Chess Grand Slam to feature 12 participants.
Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy to host Paris leg
Niemann was given a wildcard invitation from the tournament organisers.
The Paris event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour will be held at the Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy in Paris, nestled in the historic Bois de Vincennes. The event will begin with a two-day round-robin phase, from which eight players will advance to the knockout stage. The final six days will see classical time-control matches, intensifying the drama.
This is the second Grand Slam title of the year in the Freestyle Tour, after the first event in Weissenhaus, where Germany’s Vincent Keymer had secured victory on home soil.
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The Paris leg has a price pool of $7,50,000 at stake, with the winner guaranteed to walk away with a whopping $2,00,000.