DAZN secures global rights to FIDE Freestyle Chess Championship

DAZN is giving global broadcast coverage (excluding Norway) to the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 after expanding its partnership with Freestyle Chess.

The inaugural tournament will be free-to-view on DAZN with English commentary.

Freestyle Chess is a chess variant where the pieces start in a semi-random position, meaning players can’t memorise openings and must decide on their opening strategy in real-time.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) and Freestyle Chess Operations GmbH will stage the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship in Weissenhaus, Germany, on 13–15 February 2026.

Eight players will compete, six of which qualified through the Grand Slam Tour – Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi and Javokhir Sindarov.

Freestyle Chess has nominated Hans Niemann as the seventh player, while Nodirbek Abdusattorov has claimed the eighth and final place by winning the official Play-In qualifier, which was hosted by chess.com.

A Women’s Exhibition Match will run in parallel, ahead of the newly created FIDE Women’s Freestyle Chess Championship planned for late 2026.

The event will open with a rapid round-robin stage on 13 February, followed by knockout matches on 14 February and the final, which will be held on 15 February. The total prize fund is US$300,000, with $100,000 awarded to the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Champion.

Shay Segev, DAZN Group CEO, said: “Freestyle Chess is growing fast and attracting a new generation of fans, and DAZN is the ideal partner to help drive that growth. Our platform reaches a global audience that is passionate about innovation in sport, and this Championship fits perfectly with that appetite. DAZN’s global portfolio already includes leading competitions across football, American football, fight sports, motorsport, basketball, and more. Adding the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship underlines our commitment to backing new tournaments and helping them reach global audiences.”

Jan Henric Buettner, founder and CEO of Freestyle Chess, added: “Chess is one of the most popular games in the world, yet it has long been underserved by the mainstream media. With our innovative and dynamic format, and through the global Freestyle Chess brand, we are redefining how the sport is presented and opening it up to a new, worldwide audience. DAZN’s global reach and deep expertise in sports broadcasting make it the ideal partner, and we are thrilled to deepen our partnership by bringing the inaugural FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship to fans around the world.”