Younger adults are now more likely than their elders to play chess, according to recent YouGov data.

Why it matters: The centuries-old game is becoming a Gen Z phenomenon.

What they're saying: "Nowadays, kids come up to me who love chess and they look like they would've bullied me in school," 30-year-old chess master and educator Levy Rozman tells Axios.

Yes, but: "I don't know if they could've beat me up in high school; I'm 6-foot-6," jokes Dane Zagar, president of the Chess Castle, which bills itself as Minnesota's largest chess club.

• Still, Zagar agrees that mainstream participation is on the rise.

The big picture: Chess play spiked in 2020, with online gaming and the Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit." Momentum continued with news of a major cheating scandal, the arrival of a chess bot called Mittens and an infamous table slam, Rozman says.

• The emergence of popular chess livestreamers — including Rozman, aka GothamChess — has also had an impact, Twin Cities-based coach and international chess master John Bartholomew tells Axios.

Plus: There are also chess dating clubs, chess nights at bars and even chess romance scenes on TV.

By the numbers: The number of Minnesotans active monthly on the popular platform Chess.com has grown 45% over the last year to an estimated 90,000 as of June.

• Participation in the state's K-12 chess championships has grown fast in recent years, Bartholemew tells Axios. Last March, 383 players competed — well above the 265 or so that was typical in pre-COVID years.

Zoom in: In the high school clubs Zagar coaches, he's noticed a healthier balance between "the typical chess-player type" kid and others, including casual online gamers and football players.

• "There's definitely more people," says Zagar, "that are realizing that it's good to have a mental and a physical sport."

State of play: More women are livestreaming and learning the game.

• Minneapolis' Alice Lee became the third-youngest female international master in history in 2023 — when she was 13.

If you're chess-curious: Zagar recommends his club's "casual nights" every Wednesday at 5pm at the Chess Castle's location in Southdale Center mall.

• Other clubs also offer similar friendly games.

Chess isn't the only game capturing young people's attention.

State of play: Compared to their elders, those under 45 are much more likely to have tried newer games like Bananagrams, Catan and Wingspan, according to YouGov data.

• And adults under 30 are more likely to care about winning, per the data.

Zoom out: Many Gen Zers are turning to analog activities as a way to reclaim time spent on screens.

By the numbers: Mahjong is nearly as popular among those under 45 and those older, per the survey.

🗳️ State Sen. John Hoffman said at a rally that Angie Craig "sent a dear friend" to ask for his endorsement while he was in the ICU recovering from the assassination attempt against him last June. (KSTP)

• Craig's campaign called Hoffman's claim "categorically false" and released a screenshot of text messages showing she didn't bring up her U.S. Senate race until two months later.

⚾️ John Anderson, the University of Minnesota's longtime baseball coach, died this weekend at age 71, the school announced yesterday. He ranks as the winningest coach in Big Ten history. (Fox9)

🐎 Canterbury Park canceled racing yesterday due to triple-digit heat indices. (KARE 11)

🌾 General Mills hopes to capitalize on hunger for more protein, fiber and bold flavors to win back customers and turnaround declining revenues and profits. (Star Tribune)

🏨 The Shakopee City Council voted 4-1 to revoke the Baymont by Wyndham's lodging license, citing 84 police calls to the hotel over the last year and a half — including a two suspected overdose deaths during an adult event. (WCCO-TV)

• An attorney for the ownership group acknowledged problems, but said "structural change" has been made, and is considering an appeal.

🏈 The Minnesota Vixen won their first Women's Football Alliance championship this weekend with a 42-14 win over Pittsburgh. (MPR News)

Nick here. Racket recently answered a question that I, too, have pondered: Why don't I see more Lake Superior fish on restaurant menus and in grocery stores?

Driving the news: Reporter Jay Boller asked the experts and there are several reasons.

• Hundreds of operators overfished the lake from the 1910s into the 1930s.
• Invasive species, like the sea lamprey, further depleted fish populations.
• Lake Superior along the North Shore doesn't produce a lot of fish because it's cold and lacks nutrients.

Yes, but: The fishery is making a comeback, and while nobody thinks it will return to what it was 100 years ago, more people are harvesting trout and cisco.

• There's even a new Duluth food truck, Out of the Blue, serving seafood from Lake Superior.

Read the full Racket story

Every Minnesota town seems to have one — a sculpture, statue, oddity or attraction designed to make a child yelp with wonder, "Dad! Stop the car! Can we go see!?"

• This week, we'll choose which of these oddities towers above the rest.

🗳️ Click here to vote in our bracket to crown Minnesota's best roadside attraction.

• We'll winnow the field from 16 to a champion.

How we chose: We started with reader submissions, then balanced the bracket with the help of Roadside America reviews.

• If we snubbed your favorite, reply to this email and let us have it. (We may quote you in a future newsletter, so keep it clean!)

What we're watching: A Round 1 smackdown between Bemidji and Brainerd's equally legendary Paul Bunyan statues.

• 😈 Honestly, it could be the championship round — but we built this diabolical bracket just like the NHL schedules its playoffs: backward and without mercy.

Cast your vote