The grandmasters are going online. And they’re making old-school chess look like checkers.
NBC News reports that a new breed of chess champions is using Twitch, the livestreaming platform, to reach big audiences — and maybe even make money.
If only Bobby Fischer could see them now
Compared to video games, the audience for streaming chess games is small — but growing fast.
- Time spent watching chess has shot up 500+% since 2016, according to Twitch data.
- In 2017, Twitch teamed up with Chess.com — which has around 33m members — to promote chess streaming.
- A company called Chessbrah has 6 full-time programmers for its Twitch and YouTube channels.
- Alexandra Botez is one of the most well-known streamers — she has 60k+ Twitch followers.
Botez is famous for pioneering a power move called the Botez Gambit — screwing up and accidentally losing your queen. (Look, ma, we’re just like the pros!)
But checkmate ≠ checks, mate
Making money off the game can be difficult — even for the most decorated knights of the chess board.
In some years, a world championship hasn’t been held because there isn’t enough sponsorship money.