MAKING CHESS SPECTATOR FRIENDLY:

Do’s and Don’ts

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Traditional chess promotion is NOT spectator friendly!  Short of putting a gun up to your head to keep you awake and pretend  to look interested, par for the course is a highschool-ish presentation attracting few spectators and — even amongst them–some falling asleep!

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The way chess is being promoted to spectators, and whether it is directly to those few spectators that do show up to watch or thru the internet LIVE, is NOT WORKING.  It is BORING,  plain and simple.  Unless, of course, you have a certain minimum level of competence in the game (which NO average Joe has).  Having Nigel Short or Susan Polgar recite chapter and verse of Chess’ koran, in a monotonous voice,  is simply turning away the general public.

 

I wrote so earlier this year.  Take a look at this youtube video of a game played at the recent Norway supertournament in May of this year.  Technically very well done, chess-wise of a high level, and obviously put together with a lot of thought, it just does NOT work:

 

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NOW  take a look at what happens when you try to make chess spectatable!  When you think outside of the box.  When you move beyond your comfort zone and are willing to take RISKS.

 

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This is INTERESTING!  Even a person who knows NOTHING about chess or boxing would find this worth investigating or atleast watching for a few moments before switching channels.  Why? WHY NOT!  If we can promote something as SILLY  as chessboxing and make it look worthwhile, then surely we can make tournament chess look a whole lot better than what we have been tortured with in  recent times!

Modern day chess promotion of important tournaments on the internet is like visiting a family relative and being forced to see homemade videos of last year’s vacation!

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FAIL 1:

Karaoke!

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FAIL 2:

Singing ‘Old MacDonald’…

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Now this is worth exploring…