‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Chess Boom Moves Online

December 16, 2020, 5:00 AM EST

It’s been a big year for chess. The surging popularity of chess spurred by the success of Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit” is now spilling over from retail to websites and streaming services, adding to the growth of chess content online during the pandemic. Chess channels on Twitch—an online live streaming platform—continue to grow their following through virtual tournaments among gamers that increase viewership and subscriptions to channels of famous chess figures like American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura (who streams as GMHikaru).

Chess.com, a social network and chess server website, has added around 1 million new members each month since the lockdowns began in March, and around 2.8 million in November alone. In the same month, over 78 million standard chess games took place on lichess, a free online chess server, compared to half as many in November 2019.

Retailers were the first beneficiaries of “The Queen’s Gambit” boom—the show was watched by 62 million households in the first 28 days after its release, more than any previous Netflix scripted limited series. Toy retailer Goliath Games has seen chess set sales spike in November and December which, according to Mary Higbe, Goliath’s director of marketing, is up “1,100% from this time last year.” Growth like that isn’t expected to keep pace as interest in the Netflix show dies down, but Jennifer Shahade, two-time U.S. women’s champion and current U.S. Chess Federation women’s program director, says she believes the interest may translate into a “generational effect.”

Among popular chess channels, Anna Rudolf, Hungarian international master and woman grandmaster streaming under the name Anna_Chess, and Levy Rozman, American international master streaming as GothamChess, demonstrate the way streaming and content creation during the pandemic have become an alternative to traditional paths for retired and competitive players at their level.

“When the pandemic happened, all the events I had were cancelled. All the over-the-board tournaments were cancelled. So I thought, ‘What would it be like if I could make [streaming] a full-time job?’ I was kind of forced to try it,” said Rudolf, who began the pandemic with fewer than a dozen paying subscribers on Twitch. She has since grown her channel to a couple thousand subscribers—with plans that can range from $4.99 to $24.99 a month—in early December and over 80,000 followers. Many of the top streamers have a similar story of transitioning to full-time streaming as the pandemic narrowed their income opportunities.

Over 70,000 viewers—more than can fit in your average Major League Baseball stadium—tuned in to watch chess on Twitch, across channels, on Dec. 11, as grandmasters Magnus Carlsen and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played the semi-final of the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship. As the grandmasters played, streamers like grandmaster and tournament winner Nakamura analyzed and commented on the moves and strategies in real time and interacted with viewers through live chat.

Woman FIDE master Alexandra Botez, who streams with her sister on their channel BotezLive, says transitioning to full-time streaming was difficult at first. Most of her content before the pandemic was for “hardcore chess enthusiasts,” but as new interest in the game spiked, she was positioned to fulfill the market demand for chess content. Her plans for making the most of the momentum? Diversifying her streams, and using her follower-base to test product ideas: “Having an audience in 2020 is like having users, so if we launch any products that are related to chess, or go beyond that, I’ll be able to make sure they are useful for my community.” One goal for some streamers has also been to make content that addresses the interests of a shifting demographic as more women play or watch others play chess online.

Note: New member breakdown includes those who joined after Oct. 27

Unlike most sports, chess can be played at its highest level online and both new and veteran players are embracing online play. While traditional across-the-board games can last hours, online chess’ shift to speed chess has brought excitement to the game. “It’s great for entertainment—players make more mistakes because of the time limit. Speed chess can be a media product because no one has the time to watch one game for four hours. I think the future of chess is speed chess,” said Anna Rudolf. We’ve gotten a glimpse of that future, online.

‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Chess Boom Moves Online

Millions of Chess Newcomers

More Games Played Each Day

Slight Shift in Who Is Playing Chess Online