Viswanathan Anand has withdrawn from the upcoming Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour event, where he was scheduled to face his protege D Gukesh next week.
The five-time world champion's withdrawal comes amid an ongoing dispute between FIDE and the organisers of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, including Magnus Carlsen. Anand currently serves as Deputy President at FIDE, the global chess governing body.
The tournament organisers had initially included Anand as one of the 10 participants for the season-opening event at the Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort in Germany. The event still features reigning World Chess champion Gukesh and ex-champion Magnus Carlsen.
"Viswanathan Anand withdrew on short notice," stated the Freestyle Chess website.
Javokhir Sindarov, a 19-year-old chess prodigy from Uzbekistan, will replace Anand in the tournament. Sindarov had previously finished as runner-up in the online qualifier, losing to Vladimir Fedoseev.
"On Friday morning, I received a WhatsApp message confirming that I would be playing. Everyone was thrilled," Sindarov told Freestyle Chess.
The withdrawal occurs during an escalating conflict between FIDE and Freestyle Chess. The organisations are in disagreement over naming rights, specifically regarding the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour winner being designated as a world champion.
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