D Gukesh endured a disappointing defeat against Magnus Carlsen at the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Weissenhaus. His decision to push for a win instead of securing a draw may have cost him the game.

Gukesh lost to the world’s highest-rated chess player, Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian GM then shared his perspective on the game, his first against Gukesh since he became world champion.

Classical World Champion D. Gukesh lost to World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the last round of the round-robin stage at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour on Sunday.

Magnus Carlsen questioned the validity of classical chess as a measure of skill, favoring rapid chess. Gukesh acknowledged the quality of their championship match, while Carlsen ruled out a title clash.

Carlsen, the world’s highest-rated chess player since 2010, will take a seat in Weissenhaus, Germany, to compete in freestyle chess, previously known as Chess960 and Fischer Random. The starting position of the back row pieces is randomized, removing a top grandmaster’s lifetime of memorization and theory on how to open a chess game.

Magnus Carlsen, a 34-year-old Norwegian, is among the greatest chess players of all time.

This isn't just another chess tournament though, with a public spat between Carlsen and the promoters of the FCGT with FIDE in the build-up to the tournament.