In order to get more media attention and corporate sponsorships, I am trying to organize unique chess events.
What would you like to see? Here are some suggested ideas:
1. Advanced Chess Matches (both players are equipped with laptops, chess software and database)
2. Handicap tournaments (higher players will get less time than lower players to even out the odds)
3. Chess and sports tournaments (a player compete in chess, table tennis, basketball free throws, etc.)
4. Pro-Am or Celebrities chess events (1 pro + 1 amateur team or 1 pro + 1 celebrity)
5. Other ideas
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Fischerandom! Let the best (not best prepared) player win!
Blindfold simuls
Handicap chess tournaments using material odds
material odds would be awesome!
Morphy did it!
Kasparov played a match against a wealthy Englishman at 2-pawn odds. As i recall, the Englishman won only one game out of (i think) 5.
why do you want get attention of the media ? I prefer strong and long closed GM tournaments with classical time control (old good chess deserving high quality play …)
For the over 18 crowd:
Women vs. men chess in the nude in private poolside cabanas!
Summer chess camps for kids in the woods/semi-wild chess lessons in the morning before hiking, learning about the woods/animals, chess lesson after lunch, more swimming, fishing, adventure, then speed round-robin tournaments and other games before bed.
Give the King the same movement powers as the Queen piece
With queens and rooks off of the board, and down to their last minor piece, give the player the option one time during each game of trading the minor piece for three pawns to be placed on the first three open second or seventh rank squares starting from the players left. –> Less draws
alternate playing chess with co-ed dancing
Video chess with pieces that act like beings…say a rook can have a bad day and only move four squares maximum at a time. Or a knight refuses to fight on a move. Or, the queen holds out for equal importance as the King. Or, a pawn suddenly becomes empowered with the powers of a Bishop for a move.
More on the people chess idea:
Roulette chess
Spin the roulette wheel 10 times a game. Most of the options are normal move, but if three pawn piece symbols line up you get to put a pawn back on the board on the starting rank. Likewise with a minor piece. These can only be won if you have already lost a pawn or minor piece. Include options like “any pawn move/capture like a bishop and rook for one move”. Or “any bishop move like a queen for one move” or “allow a king to move one or two squares for one move” etc. etc.
I think the idea of chess + another sport is pretty stupid. I saw some thing where it was “chess and darts.”
Looked pretty corny and won’t get much respect in my opinion.
I like material odds as a handicap.
play for money.
the master gets one minute for the entire game.
the amateur gets 5 minutes or less. the amateur should be a pretty good player. so the two give an exciting game.
you can show the piece count in a corner of the screen.
winner keeps his place at the table. the loser gives up to a new challenger.
if the master loses then a new master sits down.
get some of those speed demons.
People will want to see the master lose.
a little macho talk by the players during the game will be good.
you can prerecord the games and only put the best games on tv. a good game is where there is a slam dunk. a quick crushing loss.
Well, celebrities always have media by their sides.
susan vs alexandra in bikini on the beach
playing chess
It is very difficult to advertise or pitch a sport that “just” happens to enjoy an audience on be on the far right side of the bell curve of average human intelligence (Atleast when the game is played at very high levels)
Just observe how low-key the IQ organization Mensa is these days to see how society respects it.
Even while Poker has a lot of mental thought to it, the first-time onlooker feels they can do it too because of the element of chance (cards) and the fairly attractive rewards for being good at the time. This may or may not be true in reality, but the audience is given the impression that the intellectual dynamic is no more different than that of gunslingers at a Wild West Saloon.
Chess needs to be more approachable to the middle-regions of the bell curve where most of the people (and unfortunately money) reside. I don’t know how, but I find it silly to continue advertising to a segment of people who are already drawn to it.
My two cents. Thanks!
Normally I post humorous things here, or attempt to be humorous but since anonymous posters cowardly say things regarding what I say I’m just going to offer this:
Having a master play blindfolded is one of the neatest things I’ve ever seen as an amateur. Others have given interesting ideas that I’ll borrow from such as playing at odds materially and with time. Give a master 10 minutes while their opponent gets 30. Let the amateur choose their minor piece to remove and then have them play blindfold.
This would be awesome (my opinion. your mileage may vary)!
A chess festival in a moderately priced vacation city so families can combine chess and a vacation and not break the piggie bank.
The festival should include:
A match between two upper caliber players, a closed / invitational event, an open event with a pure scholastic section, and during the event side events like simuls and lectures.
Quite an undertaking but I think this would be great to have.
Supporting chess in our schools.
Please help:
http://www.donorschoose.org/locale0/donors.php?action=view_proposal&id=41674
http://www.donorschoose.org/locale0/donors.php?action=view_proposal&id=32034
http://www.donorschoose.org/locale0/donors.php?action=view_proposal&id=38304
I don’t know how radical this is but, how about a film like “Spellbound”? It could focus on particular children competing in national scholastic events. It could also feature and introduce former child prodigies, such as Susan and her sisters, H. Nakamura, etc. The goal is to be entertaining in order to drum up interest in chess and make it cool.
I heard a report on NPR that said that spelling bees are now the cool thing to have in bars around the country. I guess it attracts wannabe nerds just like Karaoke attracts wannabe singers? Chess could tap into this zeitgeist.
I also like the celebrity idea for generating a new image for chess. I have read that Madonna and Will Smith both play. I agree with the anonymous commenter who said that you have to market to most of the bell curve for success. Chess can be made attractive to anyone if marketed the right way.
The game of Go is having a resurgence in Japan due to the huge popularity of a manga and TV show, “Hikaru no Go”, that centers around the game.
Certainly there are celebs that play chess. How about some WNBA stars who play chess. Both chess and the WNBA need support to bring the masses to their sport. Minnesota Lyxn and former UConn All-American Svetlana Abrosimova is a great chess player and I’m sure the NY Liberty have a few good ones. I hope to see you Susan and Madison Square Garden on the evening of July 12 for the 10th Anniversary WNBA All-Star Game. Let me know if you need tickets. I’ve got extras.
Pro Am is the only really viable choice I think.
How about, two well known celebrity players of roughly equal ability, each gets a few days coaching by a top GM.
The program would show a little of that aspect, exploring the coaching element.
The GMs then comment on the game that ensues.
It could develop into a small series, with maybe 8 celebrity players competing, each with a GM “trainer”, who analyses the games for them after.
Sadly, TV today is celebrity obsessed, thats the only idea that I believe will sell.
On the plus side, there are a growing number of celebrity players, who I am sure would be willing to compete,with the prize going to their choice of charity.
I like the idea of combining chess with other sports. How about chess + basketball? Can you imagine Topalov coming off a pick and roll to put down a wicked Knight fork? Then after that he can pole vault to the Candidates.
Living chess…where something very interesting happens to the captured pieces!
Have a GM work with three celebs for 1 week. Have another GM do the same. In a series of initial puzzles have them earn points for solving puzzles in the shortest about of time (timelaps as needed). Have the celebs talk about their chess involvement and what’s going on in their heads.
Points from rounds will add until there are three matches at the end. The weakest celebs will play first, mids, and then the “best”. One match a piece and quietly narrated by Susan.
If the point is to bring new people into chess you’ll have to teach them about the game during each show, have something that they were already interested in before they say the show (celebs), and let them leave with conversation (celeb comments and tricky puzzles).
Most people whom are already into chess have too many suggestions of what they would like to see. That’s NOT going to bring in your younger, newer, never-played-real-chess people. Chess variations and new goofy rules aren’t teaching chess they are exploring something else. If that’s what you are doing, please respectfully do not call it “chess”.
3 ideas:
1) For an online event I think the “Kasparov vs the world” offers a good model with some sponsorship potential. Have a GM play a group like the New York Fire Department, or play against a borough of New York, or all the employees of a company or an industry e.g. GM vs. Wall Street traders.
2) Celebrity pro-am events. Form teams with GMs paired with chess-playing celebrities. Each team would alternate moves between the GM and the amateur. This could even be a charity even which might be attractive to some celebrities.
3) Chess vs. poker. have a cross-sport competition. Not sure how to structure the competition, but including poker players will draw a large audience.
I’ll put in another vote for a good classical time control match with color commentary. The model of having two or three commentators, including a strong analyst and an “ordinary mortal” color-commentator seems to have worked beautifully in the past with Kaparov vs. X3D-Fritz (great ratings!) and Susan’s US vs. USSR quick match. Having it broadcast live would add to the excitement.
“Not Live” but “in real time” commentary on the upcoming Kramnik-Topalov match would, I’m sure, gather ratings, if people were given the background behind the tourney beforehand.
A great match between two young players, say Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, would attract attention as well.
Blindfold simuls are a great way to ‘amaze’ the lay person.
When televising games, you can show the top ten moves/lines and the points given by the computer. This kind of gives the audience a sense of what the good moves are as well as a running score. An expert or master can provide commentary as to why these are good moves.
Most sporting events are between 2-3 hours long. If you televise a 6-hour chess match, you may lose your audience. A sudden death G/60 or less may be the way to go if you’re televising a game. Celebrities are a plus and color commentary is a must.
A 2-minute speed game between celebrities would be cool wouldn’t it? Let’s see Will Smith and Jamie Foxx battling it out while talking friendly trash to each other.
Global chess: A major league tournament of 6-10 players- visiting different cities around the world. It would be like a travel show , highlighting special features of unusual places- with chess being played in public spaces.
Of course, we’d love to see you in Castlemaine Australia!
Well, the first and fourth ideas look worthwile. Handicaps and odds and the like are just rubbish. Ranger Chesster’s suggestion looks pretty good but I’m not sure if children can do physical activities _and_ play good chess at the same time. Adults usually cannot…