NBC Sports To Cover World Chess Championship

The 2021 world championship match between GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Ian Nepomniachtchi will not only be covered closely by Chess.com and other platforms. It's also going to be on broadcast network television each day.

The International Chess Federation today announced a new media partnership for the match with NBC Sports. The program will present coverage of each game starting on November 27, 2021. Daily 30-minute shows on NBCSN will bring highlights of each match game to the much wider and highly engaged community of sports lovers as well as to hardcore chess fans throughout the United States. Each highlight show will be replayed the day after it premieres, totaling one hour of chess content every night, starting on November 28 and for the remainder of the match.

The videos will convey the emotions, stories, and expert opinions, including commentary by GM Maurice Ashley, who will focus on making chess accessible for all levels of viewers. Well-known as a commentator for high-profile chess events, Ashley made history in 1999 when he became the first African-American ever to be awarded the title of chess grandmaster. As early as 1993, he was a TV chess commentator, covering the Kasparov Short PCA match.

“It’s exciting to be a part of the premier event in all of chess, one that will be followed by millions of passionate chess fans eager to see who will emerge victoriously. Having NBC Sports onboard is a brilliant development that will further help to push chess into the limelight where it certainly belongs,” said Ashley.

The media partnership between FIDE and NBC Sports is leveraging the massive surge in popularity that chess has experienced during 2020 and the first half of 2021, connected to the global lockdowns and the stunning success of the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. 

“FIDE is happy and proud to partner with NBC for this groundbreaking project,” said Emil Sutovsky, FIDE’s Director-General. "For nearly a month chess will become a regular guest in millions of American homes. We are looking forward to delivering a show that would appeal to chess aficionados and those new to our beautiful game."

NBC Sports serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The world chess championship, one of the oldest traditions in the world of sports, will now be a part of NBC Sports’ history.

“We look forward to presenting the world’s finest chess in fast-paced coverage throughout the 14-day match,” said Nick Casanova of NBC Sports.

The match will be held November 24-December 16, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a prize fund of $2 million. Chess.com has acquired the rights and is an official broadcast partner. On our Live page you'll be able to follow the live moves with computer analysis, live chat, and video commentary by (grand)masters and special guests.