The Championship Wraps Before Berlin Even Starts

While the World Chess Championship is playing out in Singapore, Berlin isn’t even caffeinated yet. The world’s best are at the board early, trading blows across sixty-four squares, while the rest of us are scrolling our phones in bed. By the time the final moves are made and another chapter of chess history is written, it’s still early afternoon in Berlin—hours before the World Chess Club Berlin opens its doors at 4 PM.

And that’s the curious beauty of it. The games end, but the conversation doesn’t. The championship wraps up halfway across the world, but the energy lands here, ready to be picked apart, debated, and replayed. By the time the club opens, it’s not just about what happened in Singapore; it’s about what you’re going to do about it.

The clock in Singapore stops, but in Berlin, it’s just starting to tick.