I think the show is part of a zeitgeist that was already there. Streaming & such is popular. Famous GMs like Magnus & Naka are charismatic and extremely online

I think the show is part of a zeitgeist that was already there. Streaming & such is popular. Famous GMs like Magnus & Naka are charismatic and extremely online. There are some great sites to play on these days, especially lichess. Lockdown makes for more game time. Chess is on an upswing. It's an old game, I bet there have been a lot of peaks and troughs.