Freestyle Friday, October 23: Hans Niemann wins chess event with 9/11

Hans Niemann won the October 23, 2026 Freestyle Friday ahead of Sina Movahed after both scored nine points from 11 rounds. Niemann defeated Movahed in round ten, then survived a difficult final game to secure the draw he needed.

Movahed had won the previous week’s event. Freestyle Friday is Chess.com’s weekly Freestyle Chess tournament for players who hold chess titles.

A round-ten win and a final-round escape

According to Chess.com’s account, Niemann recovered from a fifth-round loss to Reza Mahdavi with five consecutive wins. The last of those victories came against Movahed, who had held the sole lead after nine rounds.

That round-ten result gave Niemann a chance to finish alone in first place by beating Aravindh Chithambaram in the final round. Movahed needed to beat Renato Terry to keep his own winning chances alive.

Movahed won, while Niemann faced trouble after Chithambaram sacrificed a piece and left Niemann’s two remaining pieces stuck on the g1 and h1 squares. Niemann held the draw despite further difficulties. The half-point left him level with Movahed on tournament points but ahead on the first tiebreak.

Tiebreak scores rank players who finish level on tournament points. Chess.com’s general Swiss-tournament guidance lists Buchholz Cut 1 first: the sum of opponents' tournament scores, excluding the lowest. Direct encounter comes later in that sequence.

Prize winners and championship impact

Chess.com’s final standings placed Parham Maghsoodloo third. Le Thao Nguyen Pham won the women’s prize, finishing 19th overall.