Magnus Carlsen this week launched his attempt to retain the chess world championship once again, with reason for confidence. The Norwegian grandmaster is favourite to win the 14-game tournament in Dubai against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, and chess is enjoying a renaissance, helped by last year’s Netflix drama, The Queen’s Gambit.
As the players settle down to what is likely to be a series of tight matches that mostly end in draws, two questions linger. One is whether, win or lose, this will be Carlsen’s last defence of the title he first won in 2013 at the age of 22. The second is trickier: is there much pleasure left in watching two humans play championship chess?
It was never the most scintillating experience to observe opponents hunched over a square board for several hours. Chess is not like football or other sports, where chance and skill are evident, and viewers can see a star stretch for a ball, or bend it inside the post. In chess, one piece is moved at a time and a player’s mental turmoil is often expressed with a slight frown.