David Howell

I'm hoping it's not just this random boom and things disappear.

But mainstream, that's the goal long term.

you have the bbc show you're doing freestyle chess there's a lot of uh events bringing all the normal people into chess which is cool right yeah like uh i mean for me it happened kind of accidentally uh i was well during lockdown during the pandemic i was just sitting on my bum in england and not doing too much and

You have the BBC show, you're doing freestyle chess.

There's a lot of events bringing all the normal people into chess, which is cool, right?

Yeah.

Like, I mean, for me, it happened kind of accidentally.

I was, well, during lockdown, during the pandemic, I was just sitting on my bum in England and not doing too much.

Suddenly I got a call to go to Norway and kind of film this chess show in a TV studio.

Suddenly I got a call to go to Norway and kind of film this chess show in a TV studio.

And in Norway, chess is massive.

And in Norway, chess is massive.

It's like one of the top sports.

It's like one of the top sports.

And yeah, I think just the realization that we could take it to the masses, that people would approach me in the street.

And yeah, I think just the realization that we could take it to the masses, that people would approach me in the street.

That never happened in England where I grew up.

That never happened in England where I grew up.

uh so yeah suddenly it was like okay we're we're growing the game we're bringing new audiences in new eyeballs and uh i think that was the one thing i when i was growing up uh i felt lacked uh in in the uk it was like uh the recognition the understanding that chess is actually a cool game it's not just a hobby and and yeah these days that's that's what drives me just to keep

So yeah, suddenly it was like, okay, we're growing the game, we're bringing new audiences in, new eyeballs.