Jan Henric Buettner on FIDE Freestyle World Championship: ‘We see ourselves as the Formula One of chess’

Jan Henric Buettner

Jan Henric Buettner, the German billionaire entrepreneur behind the ambitious Freestyle Grand Slam Tour, revealed to this newspaper how the months-long feud with FIDE was finally resolved as the Freestyle Chess World Championship was announced.

After more than a year of confrontation and stand-off, Freestyle Chess and FIDE have finally decided to bury the hatchet and join forces, announcing that they will host the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship in Weissenhaus, Germany, from February 13–15, 2026.

The differences between the two parties were public, and despite multiple attempts, ending the dispute and finding a middle ground proved difficult for both.

Jan Henric Buettner, the German billionaire entrepreneur behind the ambitious Freestyle Grand Slam Tour, revealed to this newspaper how the months-long feud was finally resolved.

“With Arkady (Dvorkovich, FIDE President), I had a very good understanding. We nearly had an agreement a year ago. We were actually finalising the wording of a press release. And then, at the very last moment, it somehow fell apart. I don’t know how. I don’t want to speculate, but it was kind of very weird,” he told The Indian Express.

“And so the whole thing turned from cooperation into confrontation. Then we focused on our own tour and didn’t really bother with it anymore,” he explained. “I think time did its work… We basically reconnected. I took the time to fly to Qatar (during the World Rapid & Blitz Championship) two weeks ago, where we sat down, hammered out our differences, and basically said, ‘Okay, let’s move forward and do what’s beneficial for the players, for FIDE, and also for us and everyone.’ That’s how we agreed, and now we are all friends.”

A joint statement released by Freestyle Chess and FIDE on Wednesday revealed that both parties have signed a cooperation agreement. Buettner believes that with FIDE now as a partner, players no longer have to worry about choosing a particular side. However, he clarified that the deal is only a short-term one. “This means that together with FIDE, we will determine the qualification process for the 2027 World Championship. Ultimately, this is a short-term deal that benefits everyone,” he said.