Chess makes global debut on Prime-Time Sports Television

Berlin, Germany – March 13, 2023 — The Armageddon Championship Series 2023, a chess tournament developed to be broadcast on live TV, is on the way to becoming the most televised live chess event in recent history. The annual event, which concluded on Monday was broadcasted on 16 sports channels around the world, including Welt.de, BeIN Sports and FOX Australia and featured players’ heart rate, calorie-burned data points and, of course, a lot of chess pieces flying around!

The Armageddon Championship Series, produced by World Chess, an award-winning chess innovator, and hosted in the Berlin pavilion, was designed to captivate fans beyond the traditional chess audience. High-stakes, super-fast game structure, pioneering design, nail-biting drama, sky-high heart rates, and rule-breaking moves, are shaking up the world of chess. With top players and streamers like Wesley So, Sam Shankland, Andrew Tang, Leinier Dominguez, Ray Robson, Eric Hansen, and online qualifiers Renato Terry and Jose Martinez, the competition has been an exciting journey for chess enthusiasts and wider audience everywhere.
American grandmaster, Wesley So, won the first event of the Armageddon Championship Series 2023. So’s impressive performance secures him a spot in the Grand Finale along with Sam Shankland, the tournament’s runner-up. The players will continue the battle for the €400,000 prize fund this September.

With a bespoke and visually captivating studio, making the broadcast set look like the Queen’s Gambit, World Chess has moved away from traditional presentations to showcase chess as a dynamic, modern and exhilaratingly dramatic sport. With its use of light, varying set colors, digital dashboards, pulse trackers, and commentary, Armageddon has made it easy for fans with almost no chess background to follow the games and support their favourite players. 

The next stage of the tournament, featuring eight players from the Asia & Oceania region, is set to take place from April 3 to 9. With the same dramatic format and immense time pressure, it promises to be another thrilling display of chess at its most exciting. Chess fans can catch all the action and highlights on World Chess’s official YouTube channel.
Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess, commented: “The Armageddon Championship Series has captured the attention of chess fans all around the world, and we’re thrilled to see such high levels of engagement and viewership.

“We can’t wait to see what the next stages of the show will bring as some of the world’s best chess players continue to battle it out.”