Featured is an instructive freestyle chess game between Rauf Mamedov and Magnus Carlsen from round 8 of the Grenke Chess Festival 2025. From start position #228 there are no unprotected pawns, and oddball knights on the a1/a8 squares. We have a “Freestyle Sicilian Defense” in this one with both players investing a substantial amount of time with the first few moves. By move 3, Mamedov already finds himself in a difficult position, and shortly thereafter Carlsen is able to establish a superior structure and press for the duration of the game. The final rounds (8 & 9) of this event were played on April 21, 2025. It was on this day that Carlsen capped off a remarkable performance, going a perfect 9/9 at Grenke!! He may be the only player on the planet to achieve such a mark.
#grenkechess #MagnusCarlsen #RaufMamedov #freestylechess
Image of Magnus Carlsen by Lennart Ootes
lennartootes.com
I’m a self-taught National Master in chess out of Pennsylvania, USA who was introduced to the game by my father in 1988 at the age of 8. The purpose of this channel is to share my knowledge of chess to help others improve their game. I enjoy continuing to improve my understanding of this great game, albeit slowly. Consider subscribing here on YouTube for frequent content, and/or connecting via any or all the below social medias. Your support is greatly appreciated. Take care, bye. 🙂
★ LICHESS.ORG https://lichess.org/@/Chess-Network
★ CHESS.COM https://www.chess.com/member/chessnetwork?ref_id=1552369 (affiliate link)
★ TWITCH http://twitch.tv/ChessNetwork
★ TWITTER http://twitter.com/ChessNetwork
★ FACEBOOK http://facebook.com/ChessNetwork
★ PATREON https://www.patreon.com/ChessNetwork
★ DONATE https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QLV226E6FUUWG
PGN
[FEN “nbbrqknr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NBBRQKNR w KQkq – 0 1”]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 Nb6 4. d4 Qb5+ 5. Qe2 Qxe2+ 6. Kxe2 c4 7. c3 Nf6 8. Nc2 Bf5 9. Na3 Bxb1 10. Nxb1 Nfxd5 11. g3 f6 12. Nfd2 Rc8 13. Ne4 Bd6 14. Kd2 f5 15. Nxd6 exd6 16. Rde1 Kf7 17. Kc2 Nd7 18. Nd2 b5 19. g4 N7f6 20. gxf5 Ne7 21. Nf3 Nxf5 22. Ng5+ Kg8 23. Ne4 Nxe4 24. Rxe4 Kf7 25. Rhe1 Rhe8 26. f3 h6 27. Bf4 d5 28. Re5 Rxe5 29. Rxe5 Ne7 30. Re2 Rc6 31. Be5 Nf5 32. Kd2 Ra6 33. a3 Rg6 34. Ke1 Rg1+ 35. Kf2 Rb1 36. Bc7 a6 37. Bd8 Kg6 38. Kg2 Kh5 39. Bc7 Nh4+ 40. Kf2 g5 41. Bg3 Ng6 42. Kg2 Rd1 43. Kh3 Rd3 44. Kg2 a5 45. Kf2 b4 46. axb4 axb4 47. cxb4 Rb3 48. Bd6 Nh4 49. Bc5 Rxf3+ 50. Ke1 Rb3 51. Kd1 Nf3 52. Kc1 g4 53. Bd6 Kh4 54. Re8 h5 55. Rh8 Kg5 56. Rd8 Kf5 57. Re8 h4 58. Re2 Rd3 59. Kb1 Nxd4 60. Re5+ Kf6