Today's story: A new global chess tour is trying to make the ancient game more exciting—for both players and viewers. Spearheaded by Magnus Carlsen, the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour shakes up traditional chess by randomizing the starting position of key pieces. The format reduces the advantage of computer-assisted preparation and rewards raw skill and intuition. The games are also broadcast with modern, viewer-friendly features like live commentary and player confessionals.

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'Freestyle' chess scrambles the board

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