Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge

The Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge was an 8-player over-the-board classical Chess960 tournament that took place at Gut Weißenhaus in Wangels, Germany from February 9–16, 2024. It was the first major Chess960 tournament that used classical chess time controls.

The tournament was organized and sponsored by Jan Henric Buettner, owner of the Weißenhaus resort, and co-organized by five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen.

Carlsen reportedly handpicked the seven other competitors – Ding Liren, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Gukesh D, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vincent Keymer and Levon Aronian. Chess960 World Champion Hikaru Nakamura was invited, but declined to participate, possibly in order to focus on the upcoming Candidates Tournament. Carlsen won the event.

In March 2024, Buettner and Carlsen announced that the tournament would expand into a yearly series of events with increased prize funds. The second edition of the event took place from February 7–14, 2025, as the first leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour.