Chess Masters: The Endgame David Howell Interview

Chess Masters: The Endgame starts tonight at 8pm on BBC Two.

As the players battle it out on the board, UK Grandmaster and three-time British champion David Howell offers expert commentary, joined by chess coach and former Traitors contestant Anthony Mathurin.

Sue Perkins presents the high-stakes chess competition, spotlighting twelve up-and-coming talents from the UK’s thriving chess scene. Over the course of eight episodes, these passionate and highly skilled players, hailing from diverse backgrounds, will compete in a series of challenging puzzles and intense eliminations, with one emerging as the Chess Champion.

Here, David Howell tells us more about the series…

Interview with David Howell

What excites you about this new series?

Mainly, the chance to bring chess to a wider audience! Chess has been my life, and I can’t wait to share this world with the British public. Hopefully we’ll be able to break some stereotypes along the way and show that chess is fun, exciting, and – most importantly – a game for everyone!

Why do you think chess has stood the test of time?

Because it’s the ultimate mind sport. The themes are universal and eternal: a battle against an opponent and a quest for truth, against the backdrop of an ever-evolving landscape. Every generation associates chess with their own thing. Whether it’s Fischer versus Spassky during the Cold War or being taught the rules by a grandparent. Or even just watching The Queen’s Gambit. It’s no coincidence that chess is experiencing a boom right now – all around the world. I’m convinced that this is the perfect moment in time for an ambitious project like Chess Masters: The Endgame.

What advice would you give to someone looking to improve their game?

Simply to play as much as possible! The more you play, the more you learn. Ideally, you should also discuss each game with your opponent or a friend afterwards, to try and understand different ideas or points of view. In Chess Masters: The Endgame we’ve also incorporated puzzles into the show. Chess is about patterns, so regularly solving puzzles is a great way to train one’s pattern recognition.

Chess Masters: The Endgame premieres on Monday, 10 March, at 8pm on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two.