Chess has become a fast-paced spectator sport

I've been following the Chess.com Global Championship lately, especially now that the finals have started in Toronto. It's funny: before chess streaming on Twitch became a thing, the game didn't seem like something you'd like to watch actively. Even The Queen's Gambit, which gives a very glorious impression of chess, makes it seem boring for the audience.

But the show is set in the sixties, and back then, most big championship tournaments were those long games that take hours. Since then the number of speed chess tournaments, bullet and blitz and the like, has gone up. And then someone decided to stream their online playing on Twitch.

And now, finally, I'm actually spending my Saturday night watching Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So play chess while other Grandmasters cover the game live with the enthusiasm and energy of ice hockey commentators.

Chess has really turned into a spectator sport. It has everything: suspense, surprising things happening fast, live coverage with an analysis board, live feed of the board and the players... it's a complete package.

Somehow I feel like this is better use of my time than watching a silly TV series or a movie. Even though watching sports should be just as silly.

Maybe it's different because chess isn't a physical or violent sport? Maybe it's because it has an intellectual element?

RK

P.S. I find it amusing that Nakamura and So are playing the game on computers, despite sitting three feet from each other. But I guess it's a conscious choice, since it's a Chess.com tournament.