All posts tagged: Grenke

Harika Dronavalli stuns world No 24 Awonder Liang at Grenke Freestyle Open

Harika Dronavalli stuns world No 24 Awonder Liang at Grenke Freestyle Open

Published by Webster

In an unexpected result at the 2026 Grenke Freestyle Open, India’s Harika Dronavalli registered against a higher rated world No 24 Awonder Liang of the United States. Playing with the white pieces, Harika took down Awonder, who is rated 2718 in classical chess, in just 25 moves. For context, Harika is rated only 2470 in classical chess. It was an evenly fought battle until the 18th move, Awonder misplaced his dark squared bishop. The move led him to lose his knight in the 22nd move before he resigned. The 23-year-old is considered to be one of the brightest young talents to emerge from the United States in recent times. The win over Awonder marked a third straight win for Harika in as many rounds at the 2026 Grenke Freestyle Open. She had beaten lower rated Frank Baur and Sreyas Payyappat in the first two rounds earlier in the competition. Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and …

Hans Niemann makes comeback at Grenke Chess after last-minute no-show at Freestyle Chess in Paris | Chess News

Hans Niemann makes comeback at Grenke Chess after last-minute no-show at Freestyle Chess in Paris | Chess News

Published by Webster

American grandmaster Hans Niemann made an appearance at the Grenke Chess Freestyle Open after his mysterious last-minute pull out from the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour last week. Playing against Andreas Ciolek, a FIDE Master from Germany ranked over 8000 in the world and with a classical rating of 2198, Niemann forced a resignation in 23 moves after trapping the white king. Niemann’s appearance at the event raises the prospect of Niemann meeting arch-nemesis Magnus Carlsen over the board in later rounds at the tournament. The duo were involved in the infamous cheating scandal in 2022 when Carlsen had withdrawn from the Sinquefield Cup after losing a game to Niemann. This had led to allegations of cheating and a $100 million lawsuit from the American. No implicating evidence was ever found to suggest that Niemann had cheated. Niemann was supposed to play at the Paris event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour which ended on Monday, but had withdrawn without offering an explanation just two days before the event started. …