Grenke Chess Festival 2026 R4-R7: Vincent Keymer in sole lead after 7 rounds
After completion of 7 rounds at the Grenke Chess Festival 2026, Vincent Keymer is leading the Freestyle Chess Open with 6.5/7 points. On the 4th day of the festival, the 6th and 7th rounds were played. Vincent won his 6th round against Hans Niemann and drew his 7th round against Magnus Carlsen to take the sole lead. Alexey Sarana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Pranav V are tied in the second place with 6/7 points. Magnus Carlsen drew both of his games today, and he is one point behind the tournament leader, Vincent Keymer. Vincent will play against Sarana in the 8th round. Round 8 will start on 6th April at 10 am Local time and 13:30 IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram/Prajwal Bhat
Can Magnus come back?
Normally, when Magnus takes part in any event, it is expected of him to win. Be it the World Rapid and Blitz, the FIDE Freestyle World Championship, or the last edition of Grenke Freestyle 2025, where he scored 9/9 points. This year, after the completion of 7 rounds, Magnus drew 3 of his games against Vincent Keymer, Alexey Sarana, and M. Amin Tabatabaei. If he wants to win the Grenke Freestyle 2026, he needs to win both of his game as well as other results should be in his favour.
Round 4 and 5
The 4th and 5th rounds of the Grenke Chess Freestyle were very happening. In the fourth round, M. Amin Tabatabaei drew his game against Magnus Carlsen. While in the 5th round, Magnus came back on top and won a nice game against Shamsiddin Vokhidov. Vincent Keymer scored an important victory in round 5 against Nodirberk Yakubboev to reach 5/5 points, while Hans Niemann scored a win against Maksim Chigaev. After completion of 5 rounds, only 2 players were there on 5/5 points: Hans Niemann of the USA and Local star Vincent Keymer.
Round 4 starting position #534
Vincent Keymer provided one of the most interesting stories even before Round 4 began. The drawn starting position 534 was already familiar to him: he had analyzed it last year in Weissenhaus. The setup was relatively simple; only the king and queen had been swapped. His assessment was clear: “After 1. d4, Black is already worse. I was glad my opponent played 1. e4.” A possible indication that preparation can still play a role, even in the Freestyle format.
Round 5 starting position #230
After the completion of the 5th round, there were only 2 players on full points as Vincent and Hans managed to win their games in the 5th round, while the game between the other co-leaders, Alexey Sarana and Ian Nepomniachtchi ends in a draw.
Replay available games of rounds 4 and 5
Round 6
Round 6 proved to be one of the most important rounds of the tournament as Hans and Vincent played against each other, and Vincent won a nice game against Hans after he blundered in a completely even position. This win helped Vincent gain the sole lead
Round 6 starting position #131
During the livestream, Peter Leko shared an intriguing insight into Hans Niemann’s training: the American player specifically studies recorded conversations from the Freestyle Chess Tour. In this tournament format, players with the same color discuss their strategies and explore different moves together before the game begins. Niemann treats these recordings as high-level data, systematically organizing and analyzing them to sharpen his own preparation.
Replay available games of round 6
Round 7
After getting the sole lead in 6 rounds, it was time 2 greats of this format to play each other. Vincent Keymer got paired up against Magnus Carlsen, and the game ended in a draw. It was a game filled with ups and downs, but eventually players decided to share the point. Before the game, Carlsen praised the young German, saying he enjoys looking at Keymer’s openings at the start of games, as he consistently comes up with interesting ideas in the early phase of Freestyle games. In another Important result, MVL won his game against Hans, making it a tough day for Hans as he lost both of his games on day 4.
Round 7 starting position #549
Everyone from the players to the Arbiters, Media, and all the people working behind the scenes needs to stay completely focused for one last day. There is still plenty of excitement left at the game tables, but soon the halls will start to empty. Even though it's almost over, everyone is excited for a great finish to the event.
Replay available games of round 7
Photo Gallery: Here
Video Gallery: ChessBase India
Important details
The Grenke Freestyle Chess Open is a classical-standard tournament utilizing the Freestyle Chess (Chess960) format. It functions as a critical qualification pathway for both the 2026 FIDE Freestyle Women’s Chess World Championship and the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship. Held in conjunction with the traditional Grenke Chess Open, this event follows a nine-round Swiss system. Participants compete under a time control of 90 minutes for the full game, plus a 30-second increment per move. The tournament boasts a substantial prize pool exceeding 200,000 euros.
Schedule
Opening and 1st round: Thursday, 2nd April 2026, approx. 6:30 pm
2nd round: Friday, 3rd April 2026 at 10 am
3rd round: Friday, 3rd April 2026 at 4 pm
4th round: Saturday, 4th April 2026 at 10 am
5th round: Saturday, 4th April 2026 at 4 pm
6th round: Sunday, 5th April 2026 at 10 am
7th round: Sunday, 5th April 2026 at 4 pm
8th round: Monday, 6th April 2026 at 10 am
9th round: Monday, 6th April 2026 at 4 pm
Award Ceremony: After the last round
Prize Fund: EUR 205,250
1. EUR 60,000 + Trophy 2. EUR 40,000 3. EUR 30,000 4. EUR 20,000 5. EUR 10,000 6. EUR 8,000 7. EUR 7,000 8. EUR 6,000 9. EUR 5,000 10. EUR 3,000 11. EUR 2,000 12. EUR 1,000 13. EUR 500 14. EUR 300 15. EUR 200
Watch Live Streams
Venue: The Kongress Hall in Karlsruhe, Germany
The Kongress Hall in Karlsruhe, Germany, is the venue of the Grenke Open 2026. It will be the home of 3,000+ players at the event, playing across 6 sections: Classical Open A, B, and C, and Freestyle Chess Open A, B, and C. We bring you a venue tour of the place. Check out the video and be amazed at how the organizers have managed to arrange things under one roof.
Rank after Round 7
Rk. | SNo |
| Name | FED | Rtg | RtgI | RtgN | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | GM | GER | 2754 | 2754 | 2761 | OSG Baden-Baden | 6,5 | 34,5 | ||
2 | 12 | GM | SRB | 2702 | 2702 | 2655 | SC Viernheim 1934 e.V. | 6 | 33 | ||
3 | 13 | GM | FRA | 2700 | 2700 | 2709 | OSG Baden-Baden | 6 | 31,5 | ||
4 | 21 | GM | IND | 2657 | 2657 | 0 | 6 | 31 | |||
5 | 2 | GM | RUS | 2771 | 2771 | 0 | 5,5 | 34,5 | |||
6 | 1 | GM | NOR | 2888 | 2888 | 2841 | FC ST.Pauli 1910 eV SAbt | 5,5 | 34 | ||
7 | 17 | GM | IND | 2676 | 2676 | 2632 | Hamburger SK von 1830 eV | 5,5 | 33,5 | ||
8 | 14 | GM | UZB | 2689 | 2689 | 0 | 5,5 | 31,5 | |||
9 | 6 | GM | POL | 2739 | 2739 | 2747 | SC Viernheim 1934 e.V. | 5,5 | 31 | ||
9 | GM | UZB | 2716 | 2716 | 2821 | SC Viernheim 1934 e.V. | 5,5 | 31 | |||
11 | 22 | GM | FID | 2655 | 2655 | 2599 | Düsseldorfer SK 14/25 e. V. | 5,5 | 30,5 | ||
12 | 27 | GM | IND | 2629 | 2629 | 0 | Saint Louis University Chess Clu | 5,5 | 29 | ||
13 | 28 | GM | FRA | 2627 | 2627 | 2596 | SF Deizisau | 5,5 | 28 | ||
14 | 10 | GM | SLO | 2716 | 2716 | 2727 | FC Bayern München e.V. | 5,5 | 27,5 | ||
15 | 4 | GM | USA | 2760 | 2760 | 0 | 5 | 35,5 |
Round 8 Pairings
Bo. | No. |
| White | Rtg | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Black | Rtg |
| No. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 | GM | 2689 | 5½ | 5½ | GM | 2888 | 1 | |||||
2 | 21 | GM | 2657 | 6 | 6 | GM | 2700 | 13 | |||||
3 | 2 | GM | 2771 | 5½ | 5½ | GM | 2676 | 17 | |||||
4 | 6 | GM | 2739 | 5½ | 5½ | GM | 2655 | 22 | |||||
5 | 5 | GM | 2754 | 6½ | 6 | GM | 2702 | 12 | |||||
6 | 28 | GM | 2627 | 5½ | 5½ | GM | 2716 | 9 | |||||
7 | 10 | GM | 2716 | 5½ | 5½ | GM | 2629 | 27 | |||||
8 | 40 | GM | 2554 | 5 | 5 | GM | 2765 | 3 | |||||
9 | 4 | GM | 2760 | 5 | 5 | GM | 2552 | 41 | |||||
10 | 42 | GM | 2543 | 5 | 5 | GM | 2731 | 7 |
Important Links
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