The chess boom is showing no signs of slowing down. The latest data for streaming platform Twitch reveals that last month more than 18 million hours of chess were watched. Last February it was closer to 1 million hours viewed. For some context, global gaming sensation Among Us has been watched for 16.6 million hours so far in February — meaning more people are tuning in to watch Chess on Twitch than Among Us.
The January numbers were certainly boosted by the fact that the last 2 weeks had one of the most prestigious tournaments held — the Tata Steel Chess Championships — but the numbers for February so far are equally high, and there are still 4 days left to run in the month.
Why is chess booming?
Top chess players are realising that chess enthusiasts want to see them play, and hear their thoughts as they crush their opponents. Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura is a perfect example. Currently ranked 19th in the world, he now routinely gets 20,000+ people watching his chess streams at any one time. Fun games against popular internet personalities such as MrBeast (with more than a few pieces missing) have helped widen his reach.
As we pointed out last year, chess got a bump in interest from the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit, but it's really been the efforts of Chess.com, the largest platform to play chess online, that has propelled the game into the streaming age. Collaborations with top players and sponsored live-streaming of top tournaments have been available just as people looked for new hobbies to take-up during the pandemic.
Chess, the oldest game on Earth, is now one of the most modern in how it reaches its players.
