Morning Distribution for Monday, November 22, 2021

A [FiveThirtyEight]( email [Morning Distribution]( Monday, November 22, 2021 Your daily briefing from FiveThirtyEight --------------------------------------------------------------- The Morning Story [A photo illustration of Ian Nepomniachtchi and Magnus Carlsen against a chessboard background]( [As Chess Booms, Magnus Carlsen Returns To Defend His Crown]( By [Oliver Roeder]( It has been 1,090 days since the last World Chess Championship. In the meantime, the ancient game has seen a modern resurgence, a swell in popularity driven by technology and a global pandemic, a dramatic prologue to the game’s marquee event. Beginning this week, at long last, Magnus Carlsen of Norway will once again defend his game’s highest title, this time against challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia. The [championship match]( originally scheduled for last December, will take place in Dubai amid that city’s so-called Expo 2020, a sort of modern-day world’s fair. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, and the best-of-14-game contest could stretch over the next three weeks. Carlsen, 30, has reigned as world champion since 2013. Nepomniachtchi, 31, earned the right to challenge him for the title by winning the [Candidates Tournament]( in April — an event which, thanks to COVID-19 disruptions, spanned 13 months. Carlsen has been ranked No. 1 in the world for a decade; Nepomniachtchi (“Nepo” for short) is ranked No. 5. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly Listen [Play]( [Politics Podcast: What 44 Days In Las Vegas Taught Nate Silver]( [FiveThirtyEight] [View in browser]( [ABC News]( [Unsubscribe]( Our mailing address: FiveThirtyEight, 47 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023.