Chess.com recently published some amazing news regarding a sizable milestone: the popular online platform has surpassed 150 million members.
As chess has become much more visible, thanks to social and streaming platforms, some content and esports organisations have realised the value of the game. In the last year, pro chess players have signed to gaming organisations and there have been $1 million tournaments. Also, Covid-19 has caused a boom in online gaming, and Chess.com has seen immense growth.
This summer, the ‘PogChamps 5’ tournament took place, and it was dubbed ‘the most exciting amateur event in chess.’ It featured a $100,000 prize pool and brought some of the world’s most popular streamers to the table, Tyler 1, Jinnyttyt, and xQc, for example.
In recent months, the ever-growing world of chess, which has become dramatically popularised and publicised, has seen a fair few scandals. For instance, there was a cheating controversy between two legends of the game, Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann. Where competition goes, drama follows.
Once upon a time, chess was somewhat stigmatised and was viewed as a game exclusively for ‘super smart’ people. However, the mainstream success of Chess.com proves that absolutely anyone can get involved with the game.
