Carlsen and Caruana revolutionize chess with Fischer Random

Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, the world No. 1 and No. 2 ranked chess players, are shaking up the chess world with a Fischer Random showdown in Singapore, breaking away from traditional formats.

Unlike the classical world championship, featuring world No. 5 Gukesh Dommaraju and defending champion and world No. 23 Ding Liren, Fischer Random reshuffles the back-rank pieces for 960 starting positions, demanding creativity over memorization.

Carlsen, a five-time world champion, believes this fresh approach reflects modern chess. His new Freestyle Chess Summit and startup, backed by $12 million in venture capital, aim to popularize faster, unpredictable games. 

Fans and players alike prefer these formats, which minimize reliance on supercomputers and maximize on-the-spot strategy.

Carlsen says Chess should be thrilling and free-flowing—a sentiment fueling the game’s booming popularity.