Gukesh Pulls Out of Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Citing Exhaustion; Carlsen Absence Explained

D Gukesh will not be facing Magnus Carlsen at the upcoming Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour event in Las Vegas. The official lineup, released last week, conspicuously omitted the reigning World Champion's name, despite expectations of a rematch with Carlsen.

Freestyle Chess co-founder and CEO Jan Henric Buettner revealed the reason for Gukesh's absence in an exclusive interview. "He said he’s exhausted and needs rest," Buettner stated. He further explained that Gukesh's performances in previous Grand Slam events had been underwhelming, leading to the expectation that he might decline participation in the Las Vegas leg.

Despite an initial invitation and Gukesh's willingness to participate after the Paris event, the demanding Norway Chess tournament proved too taxing. "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," Buettner elaborated.

Vidit Gujrathi has been formally included in the lineup as Gukesh's replacement. "So we invited Vidit again as a replacement. So Vidit will wear the red jacket of Gukesh this time in Vegas," Buettner confirmed, referencing the tradition of players wearing distinctively colored jackets in Freestyle Chess events.

Gukesh's withdrawal coincides with his efforts to achieve consistency on the Freestyle Chess circuit. After finishing eighth at Weissenhaus and 11th in Paris, he held the 11th overall rank with just four FCC points. His ranking further declined to 16th after the Grenke Open.

However, the young chess prodigy demonstrated his skill 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, marking the fourth stop of the 2025 Grand Slam Tour, represents Freestyle Chess’s debut on American soil. The tournament, scheduled from July 16 to 20 at the Wynn Las Vegas, 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, initially planned for September 17–24 in New Delhi, has been cancelled 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 in a strategic capacity.