Chess is Now Entertainment – Evanston RoundTable

In January of 2020, chess was a game. Chess websites were becoming more popular but were primarily used as a convenient way for chess players to play games with one another. Media coverage of chess was limited; the leading story at the time was the Candidates Tournament, scheduled for March, to select the player who would challenge Magnus Carlsen for the world championship in 2021.

By January of 2021, chess was more than a game – it was entertainment. Online chess surged in popularity during 2020, among casual as well as serious players, as a pastime that could be enjoyed at home during the pandemic. The series “The Queen’s Gambit” became a huge hit in the fall, causing sales of chess sets to increase by 125%, according to the NPD Group. Online streaming of chess games shot up, driven by a partnership between Chess.com, the largest chess playing website, and Twitch, the largest game streaming website. By January of 2021, viewing chess on Twitch had increased more than tenfold from 2019 and was among its top gaming categories, along with League of Legends, Fortnite, and Valorant.

While world class Grand Master Hideki Nakamura is the most viewed individual streamer on Twitch, viewing of chess games streamed by celebrities also became popular once Chess.com introduced its PogChamps tournaments. PogChamps features non-chess streamers, YouTube personalities, and other celebrities playing one another. The players are mostly novices but are helped by coaching from GM Nakamura and other popular chess streamers. The games are far from top level, but their unpredictability provides some entertainment value and has broadened the audience for chess. Here’s a recent example:

White: Rainn Wilson (actor)

Black: Michelle Khare (YouTuber & actress)