World Champion D Gukesh qualified for the knockout stage in the first event of the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour, despite losing to the world’s highest-rated player, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, in the ninth and final round of the qualifiers.

Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour boss Jan Henric Buettner and all-time great Magnus Carlsen have called on International Chess Federation (FIDE) president Arkady Dvorkovich to resign after talks over an agreement about the new series fell through.

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.

The five-tournament series will unfold through the year, with Paris, New York, New Delhi and Cape Town being the other four host cities. It will end with the final competition from December 5 to 12

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

Fide has been unequivocal about not wanting to part with its sole authority over the ‘World Championship’ title

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) issued a comprehensive statement on Monday following the news that no agreement had been reached between FIDE and Freestyle Chess over the use of the “World Championship.