Banter Blitz Is Back! Cult Chess And Chat Show Returns With The OG Jan Gustafsson

Banter Blitz—the much-loved series that sadly disappeared when Chess.com took over Chess24. Or did it?

Chess.com is delighted to announce the return of Chess24’s flagship show which featured a ton of timeless moments where fans got to play their heroes.

Down the years, all the top stars of modern chess appeared on Banter Blitz—and, of course, the always-entertaining GM Jan Gustafsson.

The show developed a cult following in chess centered around the humor and insight of Chess24 legends like Gustafsson, GM Peter Svidler, GM Pepe Cuenca, and GM Peter Leko.

Fans of the original may also remember the exploits of “CM Radio Jan.” Chess.com cannot confirm at this time whether he will be invited back.

Instead, Banter Blitz has a new home on Chess.com’s YouTube and Twitch channels and a host of potential new faces taking part. You can safely expect familiar faces from Chess.com such as IM Danny Rensch and GM Robert Hess to join in the fun.

For those unfamiliar with the format, during Banter Blitz events players must live stream and commentate on their moves during the game. Hosts choose from a pool of players to take on and then battle them, both over the board and in their commentary.

Banter Blitz had many highlights. But there was surely no greater moment than when a 16-year-old GM Alireza Firouzja dented GM Magnus Carlsen’s aura of invincibility in the 2020 Banter Blitz Cup, just as the world went into lockdown.

Firouzja checkmated the world number-one with just seconds to spare to secure a narrow 8.5-7.5 win. It made headlines globally and announced Firouzja as a rising force.

Asked whether he had any comment to make on Banter Blitz’s return, Gustafsson said: “I got nothing “.

Gustafsson will host the first of a new generation of Banter Blitz events on May 15 at 3 p.m. / 21:00 CEST. Look out for it on Chess.com's YouTube and Twitch. We can’t wait.