Freestyle Chess runs a Grand Slam Tour of Fischer Random (Chess960) events that prioritize creativity over memorization and present chess as a spectator sport. The league stages immersive, live productions with commentary, player interviews, and fan experiences, and it tracks players’ heart rates during matches. Events have featured top players including Magnus Carlsen, Gukesh Dommaraju, and Hikaru Nakamura, and matches are made available free online. Freestyle has launched tournaments in Germany and France and plans upcoming stops in the United States (Wynn Las Vegas) and South Africa, including a public-facing “Chesstival” featuring current and former NBA players. Each Grand Slam Tournament offers $750,000 in prize money, and Chesstival will donate $50,000 in prize money to winners’ charities through a partnership with Chess.com. Tickets for the U.S. event start at $90 with multiple tiers (general admission, VIP, private booths) to support its spectator strategy. Freestyle Chess was founded by Magnus Carlsen and Jan Henric Buettner to launch a mass-market professional chess event series. The core product is a Grand Slam tournament series played under chess960/Fischer Random rules, with randomized back rows to add strategic unpredictability. The Freestyle Chess Players Club comprises 25 Super Grand Masters—all with ELO ratings above 2725—and nine Super Grand Masters are handpicked by Carlsen, who has committed to play exclusively in the Grand Slam series. The company plans to stage six to eight Grand Slam tournaments per year across all continents in exclusive venues, with prize pools set at $750,000 for each of the first three events and $1 million thereafter. Freestyle Chess ran a blueprint tournament in February and is using a €10 million investment from Left Lane Capital to establish the inaugural series, enhance the digital experience, build product features, hire staff, and expand marketing. Events will emphasize storytelling, showmanship, and luxury presentation to attract media, spectators, and consumers.

Total raised

$32M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Jun 2025