BOARD BATTLES
Chess pawn stars could be the next kings and queens of esports
The grandmasters are going online. And they’re making old-school chess look like checkers.
NBC Newsreportsthat 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.
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.
Chess pawn stars could be the next kings and queens of esports
The grandmasters are going online. And they’re making old-school chess look like checkers.
NBC Newsreportsthat 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.
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.
