Day 4: Keymer dominates, Leko “close to heart attack”
If someone like Peter Leko says it, it carries weight: “The grenke Chess Festival is an enrichment for the chess world.”
Day four once again delivered plenty of stories and emotions.
Keymer sets the pace – Carlsen not untouchable
Vincent Keymer has been the defining figure of the tournament so far. In the morning round (starting position 131), he defeated Hans Niemann by ruthlessly exploiting a mistake from the American.
18. Rae1? allowed … Nf3+!. Black takes advantage of the pins along the d- and e-files. Commentator Alexander Donchenko described it as a "cheap shot" for the German. After winning the exchange, Keymer converted the game confidently.
Niemann’s unusual preparation
An interesting detail about Niemann’s preparation was revealed by Peter Leko during the livestream:
The American deliberately studies recorded conversations from the Freestyle Chess Tour. These are the pre-game discussions between players with the same color, where ideas are developed and variations are explored together. Niemann compiles and analyzes these sequences systematically as part of his preparation.
Hausrath seizes his chance
Another remarkable story comes from German GM Daniel Hausrath. With a rating of 2440 and ranked 1133 in the world, he switched from classical chess to the Freestyle Open after a strong first half of the tournament.
That decision earned him a game on the main stage of the Schwarzwaldhalle against world number four Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Hausrath rose to the occasion and rewarded himself with a draw.
A new tournament sponsor?
Starting position 549 for round seven was drawn by Wadim Rosenstein, sponsor of Düsseldorfer SK. In his short speech on stage, he referred to the tournament using “we” – a possible hint at future financial involvement.
The clash: Keymer vs Carlsen
Round 7 brought the highly anticipated top clash: Keymer as leader against chaser Magnus Carlsen.
📷 Ivica Müller
Before the game, Carlsen praised the young German, saying he enjoys looking at Keymer’s openings at the start of games, as he consistently comes up with interesting ideas in the early phase of Freestyle games.
The game itself was a back-and-forth battle. Keymer had the upper hand at first, before Carlsen took over the initiative. For coach Leko, it was a game “close to a heart attack.” In the end, the players agreed to a draw – a result that clearly favors Keymer.
Standings
Vincent Keymer leads the Freestyle Open after seven rounds with 6.5 points, followed closely by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Alexey Sarana, and Pranav with 6.0 points each.
📷 Chess.com
In the classical A-Open, Tong Xiao (China), Andrew Z. Hong (USA), and Dominik Horvath (Austria) share the lead with 6.5 points.
Remarkable: Out of around 3,600 players, only two have won all seven games so far – both in the B-Open: Pavlo Soroka (Ukraine) and Liu Bei (China).
Final day approaching
The final day of the tournament is approaching – a moment that always carries a touch of melancholy.
One more day of full focus – for the players as well as for the many helpers behind the scenes. One more day of tension at the boards before the halls slowly begin to empty.
At the same time, anticipation is building for a final day that will provide a fitting conclusion to this tournament. ♟️