D Gukesh will play Fabiano Caruana in the quarterfinals of the Freestyle Chess Grand Tour event in Weissenhauss, Germany, on Sunday.

D Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen are currently participating at the first leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour.

World Champion D Gukesh lost to Magnus Carlsen in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, finishing eighth but qualifying for the knockout stage. Despite two losses and seven draws, Gukesh will face Fabiano Caruana in the quarterfinals,

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.

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.

Despite a winless run in the Freestyle Grand Slam qualifiers, D Gukesh secured a knockout berth, showing resilience in a star-studded field that saw Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, and others battle for supremacy.

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.

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.

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.