Chess is like model trains. You like it, or you don't. Trying to get non-chess players to become believers is a waste of time.
The world hates chess
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I strongly agree with that.
and there's an even smaller group of people willing and interested in tyring to understand a supergm tournament.
this is why you can't compare it to other sports where the achievement is much easier to see.
themaskedbishop wrote:
Chess is like model trains. You like it, or you don't. Trying to get non-chess players to become believers is a waste of time.
I think there are plenty of people who do not play chess because they have the impression that they can't play it, hence their intimidation. They may wish they could play the game, but have the false view that they are not "smart enough." I know people who are like this.
Now, getting these people to overcome this odd fear is a different matter. It's only a board game, right?
Dec 2, 2016
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#45
>They may wish they could play the game, but have the false view that they are not "smart enough." <
For every one of these, there are about twenty million who have no more interest in chess than they do in collecting antique spittoons.
This notion that hordes of untapped potential USCF members are lurking out there is a persistent fantasy that has been proven wrong time and again...most recently by the Millionaire Chess debacle.
Your problem is not the lack of people interested in chess. It's the lack of normal people interested in chess. 
Dec 2, 2016
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#46
richie_and_oprah wrote:
Maurice is great, come on.
I know there is some debate about "cheating" in commentary by peering into the crystal ball of engine analysis, but that engine analysis is fascinating because it really helps us get at the truth of the positions. I WANT THE TRUTH!
Maurice knows his way around the chessboard and always injects a lot of energy and humor. I literally fell asleep listening to humorless Peter Svidler drone on and on. The official broadcast and commentary with Maurice and Judit was by far the best.
GM Ashley is horrific at commentary. All he does is turn on an engine and then offer up those moves.
I don't think Seirawan and Shahade can stand the dude. They know he's a pretentious fool.
Dec 2, 2016
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#47
Ashley is great for people interested in chess. But he has no more ability to sell the game to non-players that the Great Ghost of Capablanca, should that eminence ever return.
We need to let go this idea that our ranks will ever expand. They won't. USCF membership is sitting around 80,000. Focus on maintaining that...forget about evangelizing chess to the masses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiD5aKZhrMo
Ashvapathi wrote:
Chess as a game is popular, yes(it has been the case from the time some ancient Indian invented it. And chess has gone through many adaptations and formats during that period). But, I am talking about modern chess played by the professionals(and organized by FIDE) being popular or not. Clearly, its popularity seems to be declining very fast(say from the times of Fischer). During the same period, other games and sports administrators have increased the popularity of their fields tremendously by cashing in on TV audience. Chess missed the boat.
Chess is still alive because chess as a board game is so popular by itself. Otherwise, the slow chess format(and bad professional chess packaging) would have killed chess and made it into that game in olympics where horse jumps over the hoops.
For professional chess popularity, I disagree with declining. Carlsen vs Karjakin match gathered 6 million viewers and that is a good figure. This figure shows that classical chess is alive. IM John bartholomew has a lot of viewers following his chess advantures.
Dec 2, 2016
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#50
Chess is less interesting than those other sports to most people. You can't expect the world to love chess when they don't play it and when it's associated with overweight, antisocial, old men.
IM John Bartholomew is good fo chess.He is good looking and good in commentary. He is getting many followers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGoNq7KbuI4
jambyvedar wrote:
IM John Bartholomew is good fo chess.He is good looking and good in commentary. He is getting many followers.
I really like his vids on Chess Fundamentals. ChessNetwork's vids for beginners are great too.
JSLigon wrote:
If you want your interests to be popular, I suggest switching to new interests. Football is popular. Keeping Up with the Kardashians is popular, Dancing with the Stars, America's Got Talent, and so forth. Drinking beer on the couch while stuffing your face with nachos dipped in microwaved fake cheese from a jar is popular. The people have spoken: Chess is not popular!
I like your style of expression! This is brilliant.
themaskedbishop wrote:
Your problem is not the lack of people interested in chess. It's the lack of normal people interested in chess.
Wonderful! Proof that are smart and perceptive people on chess.com, amongst the trolls, delusional wannabes, and professional deliverers of gratuitous insults.
The world does not hate chess. It just has little interest in it. We should not mistake lack of interest for hatred.
Chess is for participation. It is not a game that can draw mass audiences of non-players, because there is little to sustain interest (beyond occasional curiosity) for anyone that does not play at a reasonable level.
And learning to play at even a half-decent standard takes more time and effort than most people are prepared to give .
Dec 30, 2016
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#58
ModestAndPolite wrote:
professional deliverers of gratuitous insults.
****
Like you attacking me
Dec 30, 2016
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#59
ModestAndPolite wrote:
The world does not hate chess. It just has little interest in it. We should not mistake lack of interest for hatred.
Chess is for participation. It is not a game that can draw mass audiences of non-players, because there is little to sustain interest (beyond occasional curiosity) for anyone that does not play at a reasonable level.
And learning to play at even a half-decent standard takes more time and effort than most people are prepared to give .
****
I appreciate your opinion
R-n-O: GM Ashley is there to provide an adrenaline boost to those in the audience who need it. If Jen and Yas get seemingly monotonous to some (not to me, I like them both), Ashley steps in for a few seconds and gives some input in an NFL sounding way. I think it's all about keeping your audience's attention.