India, Feb. 14 -- Magnus Carlsen crashed to a defeat against Vincent Keymer at the semi-finals of the ongoing Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, in Wangels (Germany). In the match for third place, the World No. 1 downed Javokhir Sindarov and clinched victory in the first game.

Despite bouncing back to winning ways, Carlsen will be disappointed with the manner in which he lost to Keymer. The German GM won the first game, and then managed to hold Carlsen to a draw in the second. The Weissenhaus event was also seen as a tournament where Carlsen would dominate considering his public support for Freestyle Chess.

Meanwhile, Carlsen also had a controversial time in New York during 2024's year-ending World Rapid and Blitz Championships. Du...