Explained: Why Premier League TV picks take so long, the enormously complicated ‘chess match’ that decides them as Sky Sports and TNT do battle with mind games, and the massive impact it has on powerless matchgoing fans

A game of chess. A jigsaw. A Rubik’s cube. Jenga. Just some of the puzzles referenced by industry insiders in describing the process of selecting Premier League matches for television, one of the most complex and controversial aspects of the season.

The Premier League announced on Wednesday afternoon the latest Sky Sports and TNT picks for the upcoming festive period – but only some of them. Christmas and beyond is yet to be decided.

That means the majority of the televised games for…