Gukesh Pulls Out of Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Rematch Against Carlsen, Citing Exhaustion

D Gukesh, the reigning World Champion, will not be competing in the upcoming Las Vegas leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. This comes as a surprise to many, as a highly anticipated rematch against Magnus Carlsen was expected.

Jan Henric Buettner, co-founder and CEO of Freestyle Chess, revealed the reason for Gukesh's withdrawal in an exclusive statement to TimesofIndia.com. "He said he’s exhausted and needs rest," Buettner explained, adding that Gukesh's performances in the Grand Slam events hadn't been up to par. "We were always expecting that he would decline to participate in the next event."

Despite initially accepting the invitation after a subpar performance in Paris, Gukesh's participation in Norway Chess proved too taxing. "But then, there was Norway Chess. This exhausted him so much. Even I would be exhausted," Buettner stated. "He was so exhausted that I got a message. He said he's exhausted and would like to rest. He can't come to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, he needs rest. So, you know, that's understandable."

Vidit Gujrathi has been named as Gukesh's replacement for the Las Vegas tournament. "So we invited Vidit again as a replacement. So Vidit will wear the red jacket of Gukesh this time in Vegas," Buettner confirmed.

Freestyle Chess events feature players donning distinctively colored jackets. In Paris, R Praggnandhaa wore green, Arjun Erigaisi blue, Vidit maroon, and Gukesh red.

Gukesh's withdrawal occurs as he strives for consistency in the Freestyle Chess circuit. He finished eighth at Weissenhaus and eleventh in Paris, placing him eleventh overall with only four FCC points. Following the Grenke Open, he slipped to sixteenth place.

However, the young chess star demonstrated his capabilities at the Norway Chess tournament, securing third place behind Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Notably, he achieved victories against the top three FIDE-rated players: Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Arjun Erigaisi.

The Las Vegas event, the fourth stop on the 2025 Grand Slam Tour, marks Freestyle Chess’s debut on American soil. The tournament, hosted at the Wynn Las Vegas from July 16 to 20, will feature a live audience and a prize pool of $750,000, with the winner receiving $200,000.

In related news, the Indian leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, originally scheduled for September 17–24 in New Delhi, has been canceled due to a lack of sponsors. Furthermore, Jan Henric Buettner will step down as CEO on July 1, with COO Thomas Harsch assuming daily operations. Buettner will remain as Executive Chairman, focusing on strategic initiatives.