Exhaustion Sidelines Gukesh: World Champion Withdraws from Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Clash with Carlsen

D Gukesh, the reigning World Champion, will not be competing against Magnus Carlsen at the upcoming Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas. The news comes as a surprise to many, as Gukesh was widely expected to participate in the event scheduled from July 16 to 20.

Freestyle Chess co-founder and CEO Jan Henric Buettner revealed the reason behind Gukesh's withdrawal in an exclusive interview. "He said he’s exhausted and needs rest," Buettner stated. He added that Gukesh's performances in previous Grand Slam events had not been up to par, leading to the expectation that he might decline participation.

Despite initially accepting the invitation for the Las Vegas leg after a subpar performance in Paris, Gukesh's participation in Norway Chess took a toll. "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," Buettner explained, emphasizing the understandable need for rest.

Vidit Gujrathi has been named as Gukesh's replacement in the Las Vegas lineup. "So we invited Vidit again as a replacement. So Vidit will wear the red jacket of Gukesh this time in Vegas,” Buettner confirmed. In Freestyle Chess, players often sport distinctively colored jackets, adding a unique visual element to the competition.

Gukesh's withdrawal coincides with his efforts to achieve consistency on the Freestyle Chess circuit. Following an eighth-place finish at Weissenhaus and 11th in Paris, he held the 11th position overall with four FCC points. After the Grenke Open, he dropped to 16th.

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

The Las Vegas event marks the fourth stop of the 2025 Grand Slam Tour and Freestyle Chess’s debut on American soil. The tournament will be held at the Wynn Las Vegas, offering a prize pool of $750,000, with $200,000 awarded to the winner.

In related news, the Indian leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, initially planned for September 17–24 in New Delhi, has been cancelled due to a lack of sponsors. Additionally, Jan Henric Buettner will step down as CEO on July 1, with COO Thomas Harsch succeeding him in daily operations. Buettner will remain as Executive Chairman, focusing on strategic matters.