Ian Nepomniachtchi is challenging the champion Magnus Carlsen in a 14 game match. I’m watching a live stream with commentators Judit Polgar and Anish Giri. I didn’t pay much attention to chess for a really long time but I recently enjoyed following the US Championships won by Wesley So. This morning I noticed the second game was being streamed and I had some time so I tuned in.

The first game in this match was a draw. Too many draws is a big problem for chess as far as I’m concerned. It’s a big flaw in the tournament system and a big flaw in chess, compared to Go, for instance, in which a draw situation is extremely rare (it can happen with a triple ko). As I type this Carlsen and Nepo have agreed to another draw.

I’ll try to tune in to some of the other games in the match if I can. The challenge is that watching one of these games is a big time commitment. Still, watching players at this high level is fascinating.