"We measured 170 heartbeats per minute in world-class players like Nepomniachtchi"

Chess is generally not suspected of providing adrenaline rushes and racing pulses. At least not when you think of two older players sitting in front of a chessboard for hours, pondering each other's possible moves. But there are also much more spectacular variants of the game of kings.

In the Armageddon Championship Series, 32 world-class players will be fighting for prize money of 460,000 euros in five qualifying tournaments starting Monday. The German top player Vincent Keymer is also among the participants. The game is played in a fast-paced and extremely intense flash format. WELT broadcasts all games live.

“Classic chess will always exist. But at the moment a lot of money is being invested in rapid and blitz chess variants, because people obviously don't want to watch long games anymore,” Wesley So explains the appeal of fast chess. The Philippine-born grandmaster, who competes for the USA, is currently number eight in the FIDE World Ranking. Of course, World Championship games would still have huge audiences, "but the average viewer probably doesn't like watching a six-hour game," Wesley So muses.

The chess audience is getting bigger and bigger. The numbers of the boom are gigantic. The Netflix series The Queen's Gambit got viewers hooked on the game during the pandemic. The chess portal Chess.com announced 100 million members shortly before Christmas, compared to 35 million in June 2020. Most recently, tournaments had to be interrupted because the provider's servers were overloaded. Streams on YouTube or Twitch collect tens of millions of views. According to estimates, 600 million people around the world now play chess on a regular basis, analog or virtual.

The Armageddon Championship Series features eight players each tournament week. The game is played in a double knockout system, whoever loses two duels is eliminated. Each day, two blitz games (three minutes plus two-second move intervals) and, if necessary, an Armageddon (five minutes for white, four minutes for black, if there is a tie, black wins) are played per player. The top two players from each event will earn two spots in September's finals.

“We designed this tournament specifically to be broadcast live on screen. As in esports, viewers will know what to expect. The environment will also be spectacular,” emphasizes Ilja Merenzon, the CEO of organizer World Chess. Chess tournaments are usually held in schools. In contrast, the Berlin club that we're opening in time for the tournament will "look like a cool, hip club," promises Merenzon. The location in the heart of Berlin was not chosen at random. "Nowhere, not even in Russia, is chess as popular as in Germany," explains the head of World Chess.

The special thing about the Armageddon Championship Series: no game lasts longer than ten to twelve minutes. There are at least eight games per match day, and they are played in the specially built TV studio on Unter den Linden. The players are wired so that viewers can follow the moves, heartbeats or calorie consumption of the players.

“We measure and display the heartbeats of all players live. The players all understand that they have to be showmen who have to show a certain level of exhibitionism," said Merenzon. The technology had already been tested several times in advance, with some amazing results. “Blitz players start out with a heart rate of 70 or 80 beats per minute. In the middle game they often reached 150 shots,” says the CEO. “A mistake in the endgame regularly sends the heart rate into the stratosphere. We measured 170 beats per minute in world-class players like Ian Nepomniachtchi.”

A mode that will demand a lot from the actors. The tension of having to make the right decisions in the complex game under time pressure requires good preparation. "Three things are needed to become a successful chess player: hard work, perseverance and perseverance," emphasizes Grandmaster So. In addition, there is regular fitness training. "I've had my heartbeat measured a couple of times. My pulse is not particularly high; the highest so far was 140. I go swimming regularly to stay physically fit. I also go for long walks to clear my head.”

Meanwhile, the anticipation is great at organizer World Chess. CEO Merenzon has concrete plans for the future of the new chess format: "This tournament will become an integral part of the annual global chess calendar."

Here you can register for all 35 game days of the Armageddon Championship Series at WELT.