Magnus Carlsen has declared that he will not defend his title of chess World Champion. nevertheless, he will very likely remain unquestioned as the strongest (human) player in the world. therefore, outcome of the upcoming "World Championship" match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren feels a little bit meaningless. let this not be a disappointment but a special opportunity.
it's an opportunity for the match itself to be interesting and entertaining, an opportunity to popularize chess. hopefully, both players can agree with the main goal being not to win but to entertain. (if a player doesn't want to participate in such a circus, let them be passed over in favor of someone else who does.) many possibilities:
a tour over (say) many months, playing at many interesting and exotic locales, for example, at The Battle Of Wits, Burj Khalifa, rapid chess at halftime of a major sporting event, in beautiful nature, or blitz while skydiving.
each player commanding an army of human actors depicting pieces on a field-sized board. or dancers or acrobats or robots.
blindfold.
consultation with strong juniors.
advanced chess (consultation with computer).
randomization through exciting randomizers. for example, bring in two more contestants of a different sport, one representing each player, let them compete, and let the outcome of that contest decide something about the chess game. easiest might be choosing an opening, where a random choice won't drastically give one player an advantage.
audience participation. for example, choose opening by public debate and vote. both sides will likely get to play the Bongcloud.
bullet chess through all Chess960 positions.
players given a completed game and asked to annotate it. annotations graded by judges.
with many experimental and unusual events, players get many opportunities to exhibit poise, good personality, and sportsmanship. these too are judged and scored, affecting match outcome, similar to the interview portion of a beauty pageant.
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