Chess used to be for nerds – now everybody wants in – BBC

Stuart Rust South of England BBC Shreyas became Britain’s youngest Chess Grandmaster at the age of 15 In a silent school hall on the Isle of Wight the air is thick with tension. Faces twitch nervously, feet shake vigorously under tables, and several heads are clasped in hands. Every so often a chess piece is moved from one square to another, a hand strikes a clock and the action is recorded in a notepad. This is the Isle of Wight Chess Tournament, which welcomes hundreds of players from around the world to Ryde. And perhaps even more striking than the atmosphere is the number of young faces in the room. Not so long ago, chess would have been considered quite far removed from a “cool” activity. But a lot can change in a few years. More than 300 players from around the world have been taking part in the Isle of Wight Chess Tournament A combination of boredom during lockdown, successful online platforms, celebrity endorsements and Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit has helped make chess one of the fastest growing games in the world. “When I was in primary school, chess was like the nerdy sport,” said 17-year-old Shreyas, who is
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