The five-tournament series will unfold through the year, with Paris, New York, New Delhi and Cape Town being the other four host cities. It will end with the final competition from December 5 to 12

Carlsen, the world’s highest-rated chess player since 2010, will take a seat in Weissenhaus, Germany, to compete in freestyle chess, previously known as Chess960 and Fischer Random. The starting position of the back row pieces is randomized, removing a top grandmaster’s lifetime of memorization and theory on how to open a chess game.

This isn't just another chess tournament though, with a public spat between Carlsen and the promoters of the FCGT with FIDE in the build-up to the tournament.

Magnus Carlsen, a 34-year-old Norwegian, is among the greatest chess players of all time.

Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour boss Jan Henric Buettner and all-time great Magnus Carlsen have called on International Chess Federation (FIDE) president Arkady Dvorkovich to resign after talks over an agreement about the new series fell through.

Talking about the bitter battle between FIDE and Freestyle Chess, Carlsen said: “Right now it is very hard to have a relationship with any of the FIDE leadership. Speaking for myself and my father.”

The much-anticipated match between world champion Viswanathan Anand and his protege D Gukesh at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour has been cancelled

Fide has been unequivocal about not wanting to part with its sole authority over the ‘World Championship’ title

Henric Buettner wrote: "FIDE's recent actions, such as threatening players with sanctions and demanding they sign agreements under undue pressure and without legal counsel, are deeply troubling."

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) issued a comprehensive statement on Monday following the news that no agreement had been reached between FIDE and Freestyle Chess over the use of the “World Championship.