Question of the Day - 20 July 2025

Freestyle chess, also known as Fischer Random Chess or Chess960, is a variation of the game in which the starting position of the pieces in the back row is randomized. Pawns, in the front row, remain in their standard positions, but the bishops, knights, rooks, queen, and king are shuffled, following specific rules. For example, the bishops are on opposite colors, the king is between rooks, etc.). This results in 960 possible starting positions, thus the name Chess960. And it was invented by chess great Bobby Fisher. 

By randomizing the starting positions, freestyle chess eliminates the need for memorizing opening moves. This forces players to think on their feet from the very first move. It emphasizes tactical and strategic thinking, adaptability, and creative play, as players must handle a new position each game. 

Freestyle chess is gaining traction. Its major tournaments, the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour and the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, attract top-level players with million-dollar prize pools. 

The tournament at the Wynn in a couple of weeks is the first time a leg of the Grand Slam will be played in the U.S. Its the third of five legs of the tour (two others are in Germany with one each in Paris and Cape Town, South Africa). The prize money is $750,000, with the winner taking $200,000. 

How big a deal it is for Las Vegas isn't known quite yet, but it's certainly nowhere near as big as other major events. Freestyle chess championships attract a few thousand spectators, which the Wynn/Encore, with more than 4,700 rooms, can handle in its sleep. That said, the tournament runs for four days (July 16-20), with a kickoff event, Chesstival, on the 13th. That's a knockout-style celebrity chess tournament featuring current and former NBA stars that offers $50,000 in prize money to be donated to charity.

So it could turn into a more significant event than might be anticipated and foreshadow bigger things to come.