2024-07-25: Magnus Carlsen raises $12 million for Freestyle Chess Grand Slam (chessbase.com) • 'Magnus Carlsen, investor Jan Henric Buettner and VC Left Lane Capital launched a new company to establish a tournament series that aims to revolutionise the world of chess.'
Now see the Chessbase India video, Jan Buettner on Freestyle Chess seeing a historic shift with US $12 Million Funding (chessbase.com). Most of that post is a transcript of the video.
Jan Buettner along with Magnus Carlsen raise US$ 12 million (Rs.100 crores) for Freestyle Chess (37:08) • '[Published on] Jul 26, 2024'
The description said,
Jan Buettner is a successful entrepreneur who has been part of many successful projects. In February 2024, he launched the Freestyle Chess format with Magnus Carlsen and the first tournament took place in Weissenhaus, Germany. Now after 9 months since this first event Jan has raised US$ 12 million (Rs.100 crores) for the Freestyle Chess League with Left Lane Capital. In this interview with IM Sagar Shah, Jan speaks about how the funds were raised, and what is the future of Freestyle Chess.
The video includes timestamps for segments of the interview.
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Hang on ... the Sinquefield Cup came and went and there was no 9LX (aka freestyle chess, aka chess960) event? Did Rex Sinquefield abandon the field to Jan Buettner? Not at all! In Maurice Ashley to Return to Commentary for Chess 9LX! (youtube.com; Saint Louis Chess Club; only reference to 9LX in the playlist), we learn that a 9LX event will be held after the Saint Louis Chess Conference ('Education | Research | Community'), 24-26 October.
We'll just have to be patient until then. For the previous 9LX post on this blog, see 2023 Champions Showdown, Videos (September 2023).
