Hello JRMagnus,

I just wanted to respectfully mention, you make some good points, yet, chess tournaments could still do more to: 1) improve the visibility of their events and 2) improve the format so that the event is watchable whether on TV, online, or in person.

In my first post, I mention the Basque Chess in the 2015 Showdown in St. Louis and the format of The Ultimate Blitz Challenge in St. Louis (note: while both events had some connection with Kasparov, the games themselves made for an enjoyable viewing experience). Granted, modern chess presents challenges to the casual person in the general public because a certain level of understanding is needed before a spectator can sit through a Master level game. However, for the sake of the future of chess it may be well worth it if more tournaments tried featuring Basque Chess (like the St. Louis Showdown) or blitz (like The Ultimate Blitz Challenge in St. Louis) before simply writing off both the public and the game by reasoning, "Chess is just not a spectator sport."

Final point: I don't think Greg will mention this (because he often discusses chess from the perspective of tournament player's, both young and older, as well as chess from a professional/Master level perspective), but fans need to follow. In a fandom, it is not enough for a team or a single player to simply provide one exciting game or one exciting moment for spectators. Here is an example ---> There are fans who will sit through a baseball or basketball team's whole miserable season. When the tide suddenly changes, these fans seem to take a measure of pride in announcing "I've been with the [insert team name here] for "x" amount of years, through both the good and bad seasons!" It is as if through such loyalty that fans identify with their teams and attempt to instill a belief in themselves (and those who listen to them) that they're not some kind of "fair weather fan" who hopped on a particular team's bandwagon just because that team suddenly started winning. Not an opinion, it's just a fact that one important component of fandom (particularly in terms of attending and watching events) is that it allows fans a way of proclaiming, "I been here. I've been a supporter all along."

I know ycould spend 10 more pages outlining it in detail, but chess needs fandom. There is a lot of support and enth