Big thumbs up for Take Take Take, an awesome new chess app signed by the mighty Magnus Carlsen. There is commentary for almost every move, a modern and clear design, and a great user experience (UX). Everything is clear and at hand. The ability to go through moves at my own pace makes the game much more accessible and easy to understand for players at my level, compared to getting lost in too many complicated variations. And there’s no better time to try it out than the World Chess Championship match that started today.

Contrary to most predictions, defending champion Ding Liren won game 1. Despite playing with black pieces and experiencing the worst year of his career so far in 2024, the experienced Chinese player showed that the young Indian prodigy won’t easily claim his title. Apparently, the last time black won in the first WCC match was 55 years ago. Chess enthusiasts probably couldn’t have hoped for a better and more intriguing start.