Chess: Vincent Keymer knocks out Magnus Carlsen in Freestyle Grand Slam

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The person who for decades successfully swapped between playing piano concerts and competing at the top level in international chess.

With New in Chess, widely regarded as the world's leading chess magazine, Keymer said he's striving to blend a classical style with computer-influenced precise play. Risk management is the key, to determine which games to deviate from the objectively best lines so as to maximise the chance of a full point.

His career has taken a bit longer to get going than his rivals in India, mainly because he had to focus on passing school exams and getting good grades, whereas they've been able to pursue chess full-time.

Meanwhile, Sindarov, who only qualified for the event through a long series of knockout rounds, was narrowly beaten 4-3 by Caruana in a seven-hour semi-final series, and then faced off against Carlsen for the third-place prize.

The 19-year-old from Uzbekistan has had his fair share of close calls, but has shown a keen eye for spotting tactical openings, particularly when taking down the world's No 3 player, Hikaru Nakamura.

Gukesh Dommaraju has been a letdown so far. India's 18-year-old classical world champion has drawn most of his games, but by Thursday had failed to notch a single win.

Gukesh usually comes to big tournaments with other top Indian chess players, but this time he's on his own. He and Carlsen are the only players who don't go over the starting position with a fellow player before each game, with Gukesh opting out of this prep work after getting some advice last year that led to a quick loss.

Or on other major chess websites. So far the numbers appear to be around 20,000, but there were 200,000 for a special exhibition match between the streamers Anna Cramling and Alexandra Botez.

The trouble with watching Freestyle is that the early stages, which are crucial for the competitors and shape what happens next, can be tricky for the average viewer to follow, even though the rest of the play often settles into more straightforward patterns.

The Freestyle Grand Slam's next event will be held in Paris, kicking off on 8 April, with Hans Niemann, a polarising figure, competing as a wildcard entrant.

On 18-23 February, there's a prize fund of over £4,000, chances to earn GM and IM title norms, and strong competition at the top, with 18 players rated above 2400 FIDE. You can still register.

At Peterborough on 1-2 March, over 150 people have already signed up, and it looks like there'll be a pretty competitive tournament between the top four grandmasters and the rest of the field. The British champion, Gawain Jones, Ameet Ghasi, Nikita Vitiugov and Danny Gormally are all highly experienced and successful grandmasters. Vitiugov is worth watching, as this will be his first open competition in England since he moved from Russia. Again, there's still time to enter.

1 Qa7 wins Black's queen as if 1...Qxa7 2 Rd8+ Rxd8 3 Rxd8 mate.

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