The worldwide chess boom reached new heights on Tuesday as it was revealed the game secured a first-ever regular primetime spot on cable TV.
Chess.com, the world’s leading chess platform, announced a landmark broadcast partnership with Game+, a subsidiary of global multi-platform media company Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
As part of the collaboration, Game+ will launch a weekly chess-themed lineup packed with original and classic content, headlined by the debut of the all-new series Chess.com Presents Chess Moves.
The show starts on Sunday, June 4, at 6 a.m. PT/15:00 CEST. The three-hour block kicks off each week with the comprehensive hour-long chess series Chess.com Presents Chess Moves.
It is billed as being “perfect for seasoned players and curious beginners alike” and described as “fun, informative, and instructional.”
Chess.com Presents Chess Moves will be followed each week by two hours of classic coverage from the Chess.com archives, putting the spotlight on high-profile and global chess championship matches and tournaments featuring legendary players such as GMs Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and Anish Giri.
This is the first time ever that chess-themed content has been featured prominently on a weekly basis on primetime television in North America.
Chad Midgley, Vice President of Content for Anthem, said: “Chess has such a great history and continues to grow in popularity generation after generation.
“Chess.com is the leading purveyor of chess in the online landscape, ushering the game into the digital age on a global scale and attracting new passionate players every single day. By adding chess to our lineup, we hope that it will encourage and inspire viewers to get on the board and discover all of the skills, strategies, and magic that make the game so special.”
Chess.com CEO Erik Allebest said: “I’m excited to see our chess media distribution continue to expand, and our partnership with Game+ is a huge new step forward for us. The Chess Moves programming concept is amazing, and I can’t wait to watch!”
Chess has previously made breakthroughs on national TV elsewhere. In Norway, GM Magnus Carlsen‘s world championship exploits and Champions Chess Tour events are regularly covered on the TV2 and NRK networks.
Chess was last screened live in the United Kingdom in 1993 when BBC2 and Channel 4 shared the coverage of GM Nigel Short challenging GM Garry Kasparov for the World Championship at London’s Savoy Theatre.
In 2018, the international Eurosport network broadcast highlights of Carlsen’s world championship match with GM Fabiano Caruana.
In the U.S., Game+ is available on the following carriers: ALTICE; Buckeye; CenturyTel; Cincinnati Bell; Citizen IPTV; DakTel; Eagle; Grande; HTC – Harrison; Hawaian; New Visions; Shentel; MCT/TDS BAJA Broadband; TDS Telecom; WTC; Carribbean Co-op; Suddenlink; Citizen CABLE; 4COM; Fubo TV; KlowdTV; Layer 3/TMobile; Mahaska; Vivicast; RCN New York; Skitter TV.
