National

Sports

The World Chess Championship between Norway's Magnus Carlsen and Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi began on Friday, 1,094 days after Carlsen won his fourth consecutive title. 

Why it matters: During the long, COVID-fueled layoff, chess entered a new era, and with the championship finally here, the age-old game is ready for its close-up.

By the numbers: When the world shut down in March 2020, countless activities exploded in popularity, but few experienced bigger booms than chess.

Chess.com, the leading online platform, had about 30 million members when the pandemic began. By February 2021, it had 57 million. Today? Nearly 76 million.

Sales increased, too, bolstered by Netflix's mega-hit, "The Queen's Gambit." In the five weeks after its October 2020 release, sales of chess sets (87%) and books (603%) skyrocketed in the U.S.

The big picture: Most booms died down as the world opened back up, but chess has sustained its momentum by evolving in real time.

Chess pros like five-time U.S. champion Hikaru Nakamura began streaming games on Twitch in March. By June, he had 400,000 followers; now he has 1.3 million.

Non-chess Twitch streamers also began playing, turning chess into an esport and introducing millions more to the game.

Carlsen himself put on a virtual tournament in April 2020 that featured more exciting, rapid- or blitz-style games, garnering 2.7 million hours of viewership across two weeks.

Between the lines: The title match — a best-of-14 duel held at Dubai's Expo 2020 — is shaping up to be an all-timer between the potential GOAT and an intriguing challenger.

Carlsen, who plays by the book better than anyone, has held the title since 2013, when he took down then-five-time reigning champ Viswanathan Anand.

Nepomniachtchi plays a lightning quick, aggressive style that could spell trouble for the champ. "He's not afraid of Magnus," one grandmaster told FiveThirtyEight. "I don't think he's afraid of anybody."

How to watch: Follow along on NBCSN, which is airing an hour of coverage each night as it capitalizes on the game's newfound popularity.

Editor's note: This story was originally published on Nov. 23.

The potential GOAT of chess faces intriguing challenger

Norway's Magnus Carlsen is set to face Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi for the world championship.

Illustration of a chess board featuring two chess pieces with a start sign between them

Nashville

Axios Nashville

Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Bristol Motor Speedway have reached a deal in principle to completely renovate the city's 117-year-old fairgrounds racetrack and allow top-series NASCAR Cup racing to return to the historic venue, a source familiar with the deal tells Axios.

Why it matters: Cooper and BMS signed a letter of intent earlier this year and have been engaged in talks on the financing and operations details for months.

Details of the agreement will likely be unveiled in the coming days. The annual NASCAR awards take place in Nashville on Dec. 2.

The city of Nashville hasn't hosted a NASCAR race of any sort since 2000 and the top series hasn't raced here since 1984.

Context: The state legislature supports the project and passed a bill earlier this year to allow for the creation of a user fee on tickets to races and other events at the track. 

Rent payments from Bristol and revenue from that fee will help finance the renovation project. A portion of sales tax collections will also be diverted to help pay for the renovation. 

The fair board must recommend approval or rejection to the Metro Council. With the agreement in place, the renovation plan would be on track to be approved by the end of the year.

The fairgrounds racetrack has been a hot-button political topic in Nashville for over a decade. In 2011, voters approved a ballot measure effectively preserving the track after then-Mayor Karl Dean's failed attempt to demolish it in favor of redevelopment.

The big picture: A renovated racetrack will combine with the new Nashville SC soccer stadium, the surrounding mixed use development and new fairgrounds buildings to completely remake the 117-acre property.

Early in his tenure, Cooper struck a revised development agreement with the soccer team's ownership group to allow for the racetrack to be connected through a new courtyard to the soccer stadium development, which is on track to finish construction early next year. 

A Cooper spokesperson tells Axios "the administration continues to have good discussions about revitalizing the historic speedway at no cost to the city's general fund." Bristol declined to comment through a spokesperson.

Between the lines: Bristol Motor Speedway's parent company, Speedway Motorsports Inc., has cornered the region's racing market. SMI recently reached a deal to acquire Dover Motorsports, which owns the Nashville Superspeedway in Wilson County just outside of city limits.

That deal gives SMI 15 NASCAR Cup races and the flexibility to add the fairgrounds race to the calendar once the renovation is complete.

Support for auto racing has shown momentum in Nashville. The Superspeedway race in nearby Wilson County sold out earlier this year, and the IndyCar Music City Grand Prix drew 110,000 fans.

Yes, but: The racetrack renovation project has faced skepticism from some neighbors worried about noise and traffic.

Bristol has promised a sound wall and other noise mitigation efforts, as well as  fewer races and practice runs than held there in the past.

The company has also vowed to guarantee neighbors a racing schedule so that residents know when the track will be in use.

The bottom line: Though the details aren't finalized, it's all but certain that a redeveloped track will herald the return of NASCAR to Nashville.

Scoop: Cooper reaches deal in principle likely to bring NASCAR back to Nashville

The city hasn't hosted a NASCAR race of any sort since 2000.

Four NASCAR cars zoom down the track the Nashville International Raceway on the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville, Tennessee in a 1981 race. 

A 1981 NASCAR race at the Nashville International Raceway on the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. Photo: David Allio/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Sections

Axios Local

Axios gets you smarter, faster with news & information that matters.

About

Subscribe

Saturday's sports stories

The potential GOAT of chess faces intriguing challenger

Scoop: Cooper reaches deal in principle likely to bring NASCAR back to Nashville