Hot Picks: Chess Masters: The Endgame

Chess is one of the most popular sports in the world, with hundreds of millions of players worldwide and growing popularity among young people.

Curve’s primetime competition format will capture all the drama, smart thinking and strategising of a series of rapid 10-minute matches played by a group of amateur players vying to be crowned the ‘Chess Master’. It is the first time chess will be shown on the BBC since 1993, when it shared coverage of British grandmaster Nigel Short’s defeat by Garry Kasparov for the World Championship.

All3Media International executive vice-president of formats and licensing Nick Smith says the game lends itself well to a TV format: “While the basics of chess are easy to follow – children learn to play in school – it is a game of strategy and psychology, with so much to delve into. There are many books that have been written on the subject.”

He says the series has been produced to appeal across all levels of chess knowledge – from those with a basic understanding to hardcore enthusiasts.

Smith says the series is set apart from similar competition formats largely because the contestants aren’t people who would traditionally apply to be on TV.

“They are so passionate and invested in the game,” he says. “This means the series attracts contestants from all sorts of backgrounds who have different reasons for falling in love with chess – from light-hearted to life-changing. We have a contestant who learned to play in prison, another in a war zone, another battling a serious illness, and one who became obsessed after watching The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix.”

He also points to the “dynamic” trio of presenting talent, including Sue Perkins, who brings her “trademark warmth and humour”.

“As a self-proclaimed ‘nerd’, she is genuinely invested in the competition. She was a big part of why Bake Off worked so well when it launched, so it’s fantastic to have her on board,” he says.

Also in the presenting line-up are three-time British chess champion and grandmaster David Howell, and expert chess coach and former Traitors contestant Anthony Mathurin.

“They will dive deep into the intense inner psychological battle of competitive chess,” says Smith.

Thanks to the success of The Traitors, which “broke so many of the long-established rules” of the genre, broadcasters are “far more open to taking a big swing” with competition shows, he adds.

“There’s a definite development in entertainment programming, in that buyers and audiences are interested in following contestants’ psychology, strategy and smart thinking, which chess totally delivers. And while it isn’t an immediately obvious subject for a TV competition, neither was baking – and look how that turned out.”

Smith adds: “Chess is played in all corners of the world, by millions of people from all types of backgrounds and demographics, so there aren’t any limits to where we hope to sell.”

Rights for the format have been optioned ahead of launch by Mediawan in France, ITV Studios in Spain, Endemol Shine in Australia, Filmpool in Germany, IDTV in the Netherlands and All3Media Belgium.