Norway's NRK to air 100 hours of chess

OSLO, Norway, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Government-owned Norwegian broadcaster NRK said it will televise 100 hours of chess playing for its latest "slow TV" project.

The broadcaster -- which previously made international headlines with its "slow TV" programming including 12 hours of non-stop knitting -- said it will devote 100 hours of airtime over the course of 19 days to 22-year-old Norwegian chess player Magnus Carlsen's quest to become the world champion, The Local.no reported Tuesday.

"It's a little crazy to broadcast nearly 100 hours of chess on the country's largest TV channel, but we think the Norwegian people would like to finally be able to follow Magnus Carlsen's outstanding achievements up close," said Rune Haug, NRK's head of sports.

"To broadcast so many hours of chess is a version of the new form of slow TV," he said.