The Global Chessboard
There’s a MASSIVE international event happening over the next few weeks.
And no, it’s not COP29.
It’s… the World Chess Championship in Singapore.
Chess is making a major comeback. Thanks to the pandemic, the rise of The Queen's Gambit, and the convenience of smartphone apps, it's easier than ever to play anytime, anywhere.
And it’s gone global – last year, an estimated 800 million people around the world picked up a (virtual) chessboard.
And of course, it’s big business. The new generation of grandmasters are hooking into the YouTube generation – five-time US champion Hikaru Nakamura has 2.5 million followers, which he’s turned into more than $50 million*. Chess.com had so many signups that it had server problems.
The World Chess Championship also tends to echo events in the wider world – the dominant global powers often produce the dominant chess players of the day.
In the early 1800s, the chessboard battles were usually between England and France. Then German and Austrian competition heated up towards the start of the 20th century. And of course, the war between Russian and American chess players was anything but Cold.
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The black and white battle this week is between the Chinese reigning champion Ding Liren and the 18-year-old Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju.
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And honestly the echoes feel too perfect. Both countries likely to define the coming century, one established and one starting to compete in the same space.
Three decades ago, the Chinese government began investing heavily in factories, technology manufacturing, and communications systems, aiming to increase productivity.
And India is now doing something very similar. Putting the money into infrastructure and real estate, and offering incentives to the manufacturing of technology, this country has become the fastest-growing major economy in the world …
The middle class in India is only getting bigger - just as China's spending power is starting to wane (as pointed out in The Economist this week).
Now, obviously, chess matches aren’t predictive.
It might be that the established Chinese champion is too powerful for the Indian challenger to dethrone ... this time.
But the challenges won't stop coming - there's an Indian kid who's 3.5 years old who already has a FIDE rating of 1555**; which means he would school me. Look out China.
Business Account Management Team Leader at 7IM
3 个月Well done for discussing chess without mentioning Rachel Reeves...has proved difficult for many over the last few days!