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The Rise and Fall of Chess on Televison

CZECHIA MENTIONED!!!
WTF IS WATER?! WE ONLY KNOW BEER!!!
WTF IS ECONOMY?! WE ONLY KNOW CHEAP SCHNITZEL AND DISCOUNTED PILSNER!!!
DID SOMEONE SAY ROADS WITHOUT POTHOLES?! WE DON'T KNOW HER!!!

CZECHIA MENTIONED!!! WTF IS WATER?! WE ONLY KNOW BEER!!! WTF IS ECONOMY?! WE ONLY KNOW CHEAP SCHNITZEL AND DISCOUNTED PILSNER!!! DID SOMEONE SAY ROADS WITHOUT POTHOLES?! WE DON'T KNOW HER!!!

I think one important aspect of "chess on TV" is Queen's Gambit. It had a huge impact on people and chess when it aired. I think there was another movie in the '80s that also did something similar, but I can't remember its name and it might just have been me. Documentaries also impact viewership.

My point is that if the cultural zeitgeist focuses on chess we see these incredible spikes in interest. Then, when it wains, it's like withdrawal, we all feel like no one loves chess anymore and the game is dying.

I think one important aspect of "chess on TV" is Queen's Gambit. It had a huge impact on people and chess when it aired. I think there was another movie in the '80s that also did something similar, but I can't remember its name and it might just have been me. Documentaries also impact viewership. My point is that if the cultural zeitgeist focuses on chess we see these incredible spikes in interest. Then, when it wains, it's like withdrawal, we all feel like no one loves chess anymore and the game is dying.

Let's not forget the daily best LichessTV game which was a think for about a week!
https://www.youtube.com/@OffThePressChess

Let's not forget the daily best LichessTV game which was a think for about a week! https://www.youtube.com/@OffThePressChess

In Germany we had a few chess shows on TV in the 1980s, for example

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_of_the_Grandmasters

Chess content was always aired impossibly late at night, usually around midnight, but the presentation was of high quality. Maybe a couple times a year, school children would be allowed to stay up late to watch chess.

Thanks to your post, I've realized that a lot of those show formats followed the lead of ideas from the BBC.

In Germany we had a few chess shows on TV in the 1980s, for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_of_the_Grandmasters Chess content was always aired impossibly late at night, usually around midnight, but the presentation was of high quality. Maybe a couple times a year, school children would be allowed to stay up late to watch chess. Thanks to your post, I've realized that a lot of those show formats followed the lead of ideas from the BBC.

You failed to mention that episode of Mr Ed where the redoubtable steed answered a radio trivia question about Amsterdam 1964 (quite likely the first time that American audiences ever heard the name Boris Spassky). :)

You failed to mention that episode of Mr Ed where the redoubtable steed answered a radio trivia question about Amsterdam 1964 (quite likely the first time that American audiences ever heard the name Boris Spassky). :)