Vishy Drops Out of Freestyle Chess – Weissenhaus
The inaugural event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour is to be played at Weissenhaus from February 7, 2025. The tournament promised a powerful starting line-up with the inclusion of the world’s best chess players, including Magnus Carlsen, World Chess Champion Gukesh D, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and all. Former World Champion and veteran Viswanathan Anand was also set to join the 10-player field before he dropped out at the last minute. Vishy will be replaced by the runner-up of the online qualifier played on Chess.com – Uzbek prodigy Javokhir Sindarov!
Sindarov is a new entrant to the 2700 club, having crossed it earlier this month after showcasing strong play at the German Bundesliga. Sindarov might be 50 points below Anand, however, the 19-year-old is no weaker than any of the Elites – Sindarov has put up strong performances in the past against top players like Firouzja and Aronian. “On Friday morning, I received a WhatsApp message confirming that I would be playing”, said a thrilled Sindarov who was on a family vacation in Dubai.
The online qualifier, Vladimir Fedoseev had some high remarks for the Uzbek prodigy after Fedoseev defeated him in a close encounter, in the finals of the online qualifiers. “Javokhir is one of the most talented players around,” said Fedoseev in the post-match interview, further adding, “Javokhir has some abilities that I can’t say I have.”
Even though the on-paper strength of the starting line-up might have alleviated after Vishy’s withdrawal, with Sindarov’s youthfully ambitious and enterprising style, the anticipation for exciting match-ups remains equally high, if not more!
Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess
