Is chess merchandise at risk? Here is what you need to know.

chess is a sport, and a great one at that. but in cities like Knoxville, chess merch may be on the decline. Smokies merch sales have gone up by 107 percent, and some items have even sold out completely. with there being minimal to no reports on if chess merch is doing well, chess might be on the way out. is this true? well...no. you see, chess has been around for about 1,500 years and is the go-to game of many people. it will still be played in Knoxville even if merch sales drop, which still isn't even guaranteed to happen.