Friends again: FIDE and Freestyle Chess – An interview with Jan Henric Büttner

The rift between FIDE and Freestyle Chess seemed final – and then, on Wednesday evening, a press release from both surprised the chess world: in February 2026, the first joint World Championship in Freestyle Chess is set to take place in Weissenhaus, Germany. Sagar Shah of ChessBase India conducted an in-depth interview with Jan Henric Büttner of Freestyle Chess to learn more about this remarkable turnaround.