D Gukesh came face to face with world No 1 Magnus Carlsen for the first time since he was crowned world champion in December, only to suffer his second defeat of the ongoing Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Weissenhaus thanks to a late blunder.

D Gukesh is set to face Magnus Carlsen for the first time since becoming the world champion. Carlsen, one of the greatest players of all time, will face Gukesh in the classical format in Norway Chess 2025.

With a total of 3.5 points, world champion D Gukesh finished a rare event without a single victory, drawing seven games and losing two.

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 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.

Magnus Carlsen criticised FIDE after co-founding Freestyle Chess Players Club with Jan Henric Beuttner, which led to a dispute over the term "World Championship". Carlsen supports Beuttner's stance that their new tour shouldn't replace traditional championships but should have its unique format.

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.