Chess On TV

I recently found the YouTube video XTreme Chess Championships Episode 1. Great effort on the part of Jen Shahade, Jon Corbblah and others to promote chess.

I think there's a problem here though. I can't really see non-chess players heading to YouTube and searching out chess videos out of the music, movies, tv, dogs riding bicycles etc. I think what's needed is a way to encourage non-chess players to start playing a game now and then.

I did a little chess promotion exercise to re-assess the possibilities via some Jeremy Silman style fantasy positions. This is what I came up with:

June 2012, Times Square, NYC. Amidst the New York Rangers Stanley Cup celebrations being held for the first time in Times Square, Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik playing bughouse with Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen? On the big screen in Times Square Jon Corbblah and Jen Shahade with the play by play:

"Marian is reaching down to pick up a piece... Anand is screaming for a knight... 5 seconds left... Marian picks it up, hands it to Anand... Checkmate! Checkmate! Checkmate!"