In the other big showdown this coming week, two guys will play chess at the South Street Seaport. It’s a match for all the marbles in the chess world.

How many marbles that is remains to be seen.

It has been 21 years since the World Chess Championship was last held in New York, and in that time, chess has boomed in the city, especially among young children. But the question remains: Is it possible to get American audiences excited about an activity without action, when games can stretch out to six hours, and a match lasts for three weeks?

Hurdles, shall we say, abound.

“Chess itself, watching chess, is boring,” said Maurice Ashley, the first African-American to earn the title of grandmaster, who now provides commentary and runs a tournament called Millionaire Chess, which has struggled to find an audience or sponsors. “It’s boring, it’s complicated, it’s hard. These are all the stereotypes about the game. If you don’t break down that giant wall, you almost have no chance.”