CHESS MOVES TO BECOME SPORT FOR THE MASSES

Norwegian duo start app to help fans follow classical version, with other formats to come

- Melvyn Teoh

Viewed as a battle of wits rather than brawn, chess has always struggled to attract a mass audience, despite having over 600 million players worldwide—more than 360,000 of whom play competitively, according to the International Chess Federation.

Efforts are under way to bridge the gap between fans and the elite players, and one day turn the game into a mass spectator sport.

Hoping to enhance the viewing experience for fans, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen teamed up with fellow Norwegian Mats Kristiansen to develop free chess app Take Take Take, which offers real-time in-depth analysis of moves for games at the top level.

Speaking to The Straits Times over Zoom, the digital platform's chief executive Kristiansen said: "Over the past 10 years, there's been a ton of innovation from websites in terms of how to learn chess, how to get better at chess and puzzles...

(But) I think we will raise the floor for the fans, and elevate them into more hardcore fans.