Chess.com's surge captures students' attention

show's popularity, saying, "Everyone was talking about it."

ALEXIS TEA, GABRIELLE YE, ADAM ORENSTEIN AND PHILIP CHO

In recent months, Chess.com, an online chess website, has seen a significant rise in popularity among students.

The website reported a staggering leap in active players, with numbers increasing from seven million to 10 million daily players in just three weeks, from Dec. 31 to Jan. 20.

In February alone, Chess.com announced over a billion games played, averaging to about 37 million games per day.

Sophomore Hari Srivastan has witnessed this growth in players first-hand.

"I'll be walking somewhere in the classroom, and everybody's playing Chess.com."

Online chess gained traction during the pandemic as students sought hobbies and ways to connect with others online. The game's intellectual challenge and accessibility have contributed to its growth in popularity, particularly among teenagers and young adults. = Chess.com's growth is attributed to streamers and celebrities discussing the game, with the pandemic and recent events in the chess world also contributing to the explosion of popularity. Sam Khanin, an international chess master and chess coach on Chess.com, told the Bear Witness that acknowledged these factors, stating, "The com- bination of the development of technology, the pandemic, social media coverage, Netflix shows all contributed."

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Netflix's TV drama, "The Queen's Gambit," which follows an orphaned girl as she tries to become the world's greatest chess player, also contributed to chess's global popularity during the pandemic. Khanin commented on the

Chess.com's accessibility is another factor in its popularity, allowing members to play chess at any hour of the day and any location with minimal materials. The website also offers a variety of chess puzzles for those who do not want to play a match, as well as quicker games, including options to play matches lasting down to one minute.

Chess.com's uniquely online setting allows the game to be shared easily and efficiently, with many streamers recording gameplay, players posting on social media, and the ability to play against a friend online.

Chess's intensely competitive aspect is what gives it an edge over other games. While other popular online games have players competing against themselves to beat a high score or reach a higher level, chess has players battling oneon-one in real time, making it more competitive.

Khanin has faith that this chess craze will stick around, "I think that the growth of chess will continue," he said. "There's still a lot of potential for Chess.com, and we will see this growth for a pretty long time."