Latest news with #ChessMasters:TheEndgame
The Guardian
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
BBC Two's Chess Masters: The Endgame divides opinions as winner is crowned
BBC Two's Monday evening show Chess Masters: The Endgame reached its final this week amid a continuing debate between experts, who found it patronising, and social players, novices and children who enjoyed its light touch and focus on personalities. The series was placed in a testing environment, the 8pm slot, sandwiched between the intellectual heavyweights Mastermind and University Challenge. Viewer numbers, as supplied by Broadcast, peaked in the first week at 890,000, then gradually dipped to a low of 535,000 on Easter Monday before rebounding to 655,000, a 5.5% share of the viewing audience, for the final week. However, Charlie Bunce, director of programmes for the series production company Curve Media, said in an email to that the first episode had attracted just under 1.2m viewers, describing that as 'a great success', and that in the rest of the series the programme had 'held its share'. has a full pictorial report on the series. The grandmaster presenter, David Howell, created innovative challenges for contestants, including pawn races, memory tests set by his friend Magnus Carlsen, puzzles involving checkmates in one, two, three, four and five moves, and mini-simultaneous exhibitions, all part of the elimination process to produce a single winner. English Chess Federation sources believe that the decision whether to commission a second series is in the balance. BBC policy is often to allow a new show a couple of series to find its target audience. The Richie v Thalia final was decided when the older player, a piece up, chose 1 Qf2? in the diagram, got into time trouble, and was beaten. There is now an entire 32-page thread on the English Chess Forum about Chess Masters, with its detractors complaining about excessive hype by Anthony Moturin and the difficulty of following the puzzle solutions, while its advocates praise the soft approach needed to bring new players to the game. What do Guardian readers think? Tell us in the comments section. Following Freestyle successes for Carlsen, the world No 1, and setbacks for the Indians led by the 18-year-old world champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, the next major tests in classical chess are approaching. On Wednesday the Superbet Chess Classic Romania starts in Bucharest, with world top 11 players Gukesh, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Alireza Firouzja and Wesley So all in action. Bucharest will be followed by Norway Chess at Stavanger, starting on 26 May, where the six competitors in a double-round all-play-all are Carlsen (Norway), Hikaru Nakamura and Caruana (US), Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi (India) and Wei Yi (China). Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Each will have an individual motivation. Carlsen will want to show continued classical supremacy, a strong Nakamura result will provide impetus for him to qualify for the 2026 Candidates, Gukesh will need to prove that he really deserves his world crown, Caruana will aim to restore his previous No 2 status, while Erigaisi and Yi will try to confirm their places among the super-elite. Meanwhile, April has been a good month for England's best players. Nikita Vitiugov, the former Russian who is now England No 1, scored 2.5/3 in the competitive German Bundesliga. Shreyas Royal, 16, England's youngest grandmaster, achieved solid 2500+ performances at Reykjavik, Iceland, and Menorca, Spain, while Supratit Banerjee, 11, surpassed a 2300 rating and so qualified for the Fide Master title. At home, GM Peter Wells won the English Senior 50+ championship while WIM Natasha Regan captured the women's crown. Paul Townsend and WGM Sheila Jackson took the 65+ titles. 3970: 1 Qa6 Na5 (to stop 2 Qb7 mate) 2 Qb7+! Nxb7 3 Na6+ and if Ka8 4 Ndxc7 mate or Kc8 4 Ne7 mate. Richie v Thalia: 1 Qg6! (threat 2 Rf8+! Kxf8 3 Qf7 mate) Qd8 2 Rf7 Bf6 3 Nd7! with no reasonable defence for Black.
Wales Online
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Historic Welsh hotel with huge claim to fame is the setting for top new BBC competition
Historic Welsh hotel with huge claim to fame is the setting for top new BBC competition BBC Two's Chess Masters: The Endgame is filmed in a famous Welsh hotel This grand hotel is in Wales (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / Curve Media / Alistair Heap ) New BBC Two series, Chess Masters: The Endgame, is filmed at a famous Welsh hotel which is packed with history. The show, which seeks to find the newest chess star as players go head to head, was filmed at The Coal Exchange, in Cardiff. Only a stone's throw away from the scenic Cardiff Bay, you will find The Coal Exchange which is a striking building from both the outside and the inside. Chess Masters: The Endgame, hosted by Sue Perkins, was filmed in the grand ballroom of the hotel, making the perfect setting for tense chess moves. The Coal Exchange is a boutique luxury hotel where Welsh heritage meets modern comfort and they advertised themselves as "our hotel isn't just somewhere to sleep, it's somewhere to experience." The hotel is a Grade II listed building and once the epicentre of the global coal trade and quite literally the place where the world's first £1 million deal was made and the cheque was signed. Today, it's been lovingly restored into a luxurious hotel that still pays homage to its roots. Original wood panelling, high ceilings and intricate architecture all still remain. The ballroom, where the series is filmed, is as grand as they come, with ornate ceilings, chandeliers and sweeping staircases. Built between 1884 and 1888, The Coal Exchange was designed as a hub for trading Welsh coal. It wasn't just any exchange, though. Article continues below The building has a lot of history (Image: Mirrorpix ) It became one of the most important financial centres in the world, where deals worth millions of pounds were struck daily. At its peak, over 10,000 coal traders, shipowners, and businessmen would pass through its doors each day. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . The building itself was designed to impress, with its grand façade, sweeping staircases, and intricate wood panelling reflecting the immense wealth generated by the industry. The highlight of its history came in 1904 when The Coal Exchange witnessed the world's first £1 million business deal. At a time when £1 million was an almost unimaginable sum, this transaction solidified Cardiff's position as the world's leading coal-exporting port. However, no boom lasts forever. The 20th century brought massive changes to Cardiff and its coal industry. The decline began after World War I, when international demand for coal began to slow. The final blow came in the 1960s and 70s, when coal mining in South Wales drastically declined due to competition from alternative energy sources. As the industry collapsed, so too did the need for The Coal Exchange. By the 1980s, the building had fallen into disrepair. What was once a vibrant hub of global trade now stood empty, a shadow of its former self. What a setting (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / Curve Media / Alistair Heap ) For years, it remained abandoned, with only whispers of its past echoing through its grand halls. The redevelopment of Cardiff Bay in the 1990s and early 2000s aimed to breathe new life into the area, and The Coal Exchange was a prime candidate for restoration. In recent years, the building has been meticulously restored, preserving its rich heritage while transforming it into a luxurious hotel. In 2024 the hotel was closed between January and March after freeholder Eden Grove Developments took back possession of the building from operator Coal Exchange Hotel LLP. Article continues below
Telegraph
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
People ‘weaponise' ADHD to make excuses, suggests Sue Perkins
The comedian Sue Perkins has suggested that people 'weaponise' the label of ADHD to make excuses. The former Great British Bake Off presenter was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 2022, aged 53. Perkins, who is now fronting the new BBC game show Chess Masters: The Endgame, told Radio Times that the diagnosis was 'useful to have' because it helped her understand 'why some things make me very upset and stressed'. However, the TV presenter explained that the label of the disorder was 'not about going, 'I can't and I won't because I've got a certificate''. She added: 'I don't weaponise it to make excuses for things that I do that aren't optimal. I want to be the best version of myself.' Speaking about her diagnosis, Perkins explained: 'I understand why I lose everything, why I can't prepare for things, why I don't like repetition.' According to the NHS, adults with ADHD typically show signs of being inattentive and struggling to concentrate. This may include having a lot of energy, feeling restless, being forgetful and finding it hard to organise your time. They may also show signs of being more hyperactive or impulsive such as being very talkative and interrupting conversations, as well as making quick decisions without thinking about the results or consequences. Elsewhere in the interview, Perkins explained that her late diagnosis made her feel like an 'outsider'. She said: 'We all feel like outsiders. But being diagnosed with ADHD very late is one reason I felt that way.' In 2023, Perkins responded to a post on X – formerly Twitter – about having the disorder after Tom Gray, the British songwriter and Gomez band member, opened up about his potential diagnosis. I have fully crept. Once I had the diagnosis, suddenly everything made sense - to me and those who love me. Wishing you well on the journey, Tom x — Sue Perkins 💙 (@sueperkins) January 4, 2023 Alongside TV presenting, the comedian will soon be touring her new stand-up live show, The Eternal Shame of Sue Perkins, setting off in January next year. Describing the premise of the show, she said: 'I'm unpacking what would have overwhelmed me when I was younger – the endless failings, awkwardness and difficulties of life.' Perkins is also the co-host of a podcast with the comedian Mel Truly, entitled Mel & Sue: Should Know By Now.
The Guardian
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Magnus Carlsen makes cameo in BBC Two's Chess Masters as drop in viewers slows
Magnus Carlsen, the world No 1, made a cameo appearance via video in Monday's third episode of BBC Two's Chess Masters: The Endgame, setting a challenge to memorise a position from a 'special' World Blitz game. Viewer numbers, supplied by Broadcast, again dropped, but more slowly, from 890,000 in the first episode to 710,000 last week and 655,000 this time. Carlsen displayed the position after 29…Ka6 of his 2022 World Blitz game with Richard Rapport. The contestants had 60 seconds to memorise it, then another minute to recreate it on their own board. Most found it difficult. Carlsen's own memory skills were tested by David Howell in an entertaining YouTube video, with impressive results. In one instance, the Norwegian recalled from 25 years ago not just his own game, but events on the adjacent board. Visual memory is one of the key factors in chess skill, and one which is often downplayed, as it is innate, hard to develop, and therefore a difficult subject to teach. Long ago in the Netherlands a researcher showed a middle game position for 10 seconds to the former world champion Max Euwe, to a master, a local champion and an average club player. Euwe dictated the position with no errors, while the master added a pawn. The local champion forgot a bishop and misplaced a rook, while the club player set up less than a third of the men correctly. Strong players can visualise the pieces in clusters, the weak see only single units. At the 1960 Leipzig Olympiad I gave some memory tests of a different kind to leading players, naming games and then asking them for details of what happened. The outstanding performer was the then world champion Mikhail Tal, who, when I named an obscure game of his from the 1954 Latvian Championship, responded with an account not just of the game, but of his discussions with his opponent both before and after it. Tal was also knowledgable about the games of his rivals. In contrast, Bobby Fischer had excellent recall of his own games, but limited memory of others. Next Monday's fourth episode of Chess Masters: The Endgame (8pm, BBC Two) will feature six new contestants. They include Kel, 39, from Bolton, an experienced league and tournament player whose track record gives him the potential to win the whole competition. England's Jonah Willow, 22, fell short of his second grandmaster norm in the European championship at the Romanian Black Sea resort of Eforie Nord this week, totalling 6/11. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Now it is the turn of Matthew Wadsworth, 24, who already has the three required GM norms but still needs a 2500 Fide rating for the title, and reached 2491 with his performance in the Wightlink International at Ryde, Isle of Wight, last month. Wadsworth is currently the No 2 seed at Bad Wörishofen, Germany. After six of the nine rounds he had scored an unbeaten 5/6, with his rating up to 2498, but a seventh round loss on Thursday to the top-seeded Armenian, Karen Grigorian, checked his progress. Wadsworth still has a chance for the GM title, but needs to win his final two games on Friday and Saturday. 3965 1…Qc6! wins the b7 rook, because 2 Rxc6 Re1 is mate.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chess Masters: The Endgame contestant 'kept alive' by chess
'Chess Masters: The Endgame' host Sue Perkins was stunned when an ex-prisoner contestant told how he was "kept alive" by the game. The 55-year-old TV presenter was amazed by the guests' stories on the show, but she found it moving when a former inmate told her chess had given him a "way out". Speaking to Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett on the 'Dish from Waitrose' podcast, she said: "One guy learnt, for example, in prison. "And it was the thing that kept him alive. It's the thing that made him believe that there was a way out, mentally. You know, in all the chaos and all the overcrowding and the terrible situation, he would just sit at the board, sometimes with another, sometimes on his own. "And all these players are, I mean, the top amateurs you can get. They're nudging on masters. All their stories are amazing, and, yeah, they let me come in and just goof about!' Alongside the former 'Great British Bake Off' co-presenter, chess coach and former 'The Traitors' star Anthony Mathurin and three-time British chess champion David Howell are also overseeing the eight-part BBC Two series. The trio put 12 of the game's rising stars of all ages through their paces, in a bid to be crowned a chess master. Sue finds the intensity of chess "erotic". She said: "When you think of chess, you think of maybe a 65-year-old white guy, with a sort of dusty sort of collar. "Chess is hot. This is what I discovered. "They are on TikTok, they're on Insta[gram], they are whip-smart, and they are everywhere. "It's the fastest growing game/ sport in the world and billions of people play it, and ... yeah, it's hot.' Sue - whose late dad Bert inspired her to front the show, because he was a "really good" chess player - hopes the programme will be a success. She said: "We've been filming for 10 days in Wales. "Chess has never been done like this, you know, with the prism of modern TV and the expectations of modern TV on it. "So, I'm hopeful. We had such a great time and they're, they're just good folk." 'Chess Masters: The Endgame' continues on Monday, March 24, at 8pm on BBC Two. 'Dish from Waitrose' is available on all podcast providers.
