It has been nearly tough to get chess on television, despite its increasing popularity. The goal of Checkmate: USA vs. India is to appeal to broadcasters and casual fans who find it too complex and technical.
Millions of new chess enthusiasts have emerged since the COVID outbreak. However, television broadcasting is still the sport’s most unexplored region, with streaming platforms serving as the main distribution channel.
Checkmate: USA vs. India, which matches up two of the sport’s best countries, aims to entice broadcasters and casual viewers who avoid it because they think it’s too complicated.Four of the world’s top five players—Hikaru Nakamura, D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and Fabiano Caruana—will represent their nations at the tournament. They will be joined by prominent streamer Levy Rozman (from the USA), Tanitoluwa Adewumi, Carissa Yip, Ethan Vaz, Divya Deshmukh, and chess analyst Sagar Shah (all representing India).The idea behind the project is to make the sport more approachable for casual viewers who are overwhelmed by nuances in the sport’s grammar.The goal is to create a product that appeals to casual fans without detracting from ardent chess lovers. According to Belcadi, the majority of chess broadcasts currently target “insiders,” who are “serious players that are fluent in theory and analysis.”
The team’s goal is to develop gripping plots for all viewers. “It will be a format that sponsors can support, casual fans can enjoy, and major broadcasters can carry.” It’s about creating a sport that is both profitable and respects the complexity of the game,” he explains.With the exception of sporadic appearances, getting chess on TV has been nearly hard despite its increasing popularity. In a recent interview with ChessBase India, FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky even acknowledged: “Perhaps we don’t have a product that is ready to be televised in a way that millions of people can follow it.”
One attempt to alter that view is the Checkmate: USA vs. India match. The event was designed to “have a format that delivers intensity, identity, and storytelling,” according to Belcadi.Why were the United States and India chosen over nations with significant influence in the sport, like as China, Russia, and Uzbekistan?It was evident that the two biggest chess markets are in the USA and India. By objective metrics like player depth, number of grandmasters, viewership, participation, and global rankings, they are two chess powerhouses. India contributes momentum, depth, and youth. even without fear. The USA contributes global media reach, celebrity power, and legacy. This competition is about chess’s future, and these two nations are presently influencing it in their own unique ways, according to Belcadi.Despite the fact that chess is still primarily an individualistic sport, they decided to hold a national team event in order to develop a “narrative” for the fight.He claims that while individual genius is still prominent, presenting the event as a national face-off adds a narrative that is more potent. “Our mission is to help change the fact that chess remains on the periphery of mainstream sports.”
