Video · 2026-08-13 · 46m · 6 moments

How Chess.com Became the World’s Biggest Chess Community with CEO Erik Allebest

✦ AI generated

GUEST Erik Allebest HOST Sarah Guo HOST Elad Gil

timeline · colored by role

Context◆

Chess.com maintained its massive user growth after the COVID/Queen's Gambit surge because the new player base was sustained by ongoing cultural trends and product improvements.

Allebest explains that while Chess.com experienced explosive growth during COVID and after Queen's Gambit, the platform retained those gains because of continued cultural relevance and product improvements that created a new, higher baseline.

transcript

Erik Allebest: COVID happened, Queen's Gambit happened, some news cycles happened, and we're like, "Oh, this might just be a flash in the pan," like treadmills and sourdough bread. But then in 2023, we had another crazy wave where all these kids started playing in schools because of short form content and the mittens bot and the cheating scandal and we just spiked again and then when we came down again, we were so much higher and we maintained this baseline.

Mechanism

Chess.com's competitive advantage came from a relentless focus on user experience, free access, and browser-based play, not from venture capital funding.

Allebest describes how Chess.com outcompeted early rivals by focusing on a great, free, browser-based experience rather than trying to raise capital or follow conventional startup playbooks.

transcript

Erik Allebest: We came on and we just relentlessly focused on what we wanted as players ourselves. We wanted a product that felt great. We wanted it to be free to play. We wanted to be in the browser. We wanted it to feel great, you know, we wanted it to be a wonderful experience. So, we really just focused on the user experience above all. And, you know, over time, you know, that wins out.

Claim◆

Chess.com didn't consider itself a big business until 2024 because the initial growth spurts seemed like temporary fads, but the sustained higher baseline proved the market was real and larger than expected.

Allebest reveals that despite early success, Chess.com only considered itself a large business in 2024 after user spikes from events like COVID and Queen's Gambit settled into a new, much higher baseline, proving long-term demand.

transcript

Erik Allebest: I think 2024 was when we thought this would be a big business... before COVID and Queen's Gambit, we had like a million daily active users... we're like, "Oh, this might just be a flash in the pan"... But we actually stayed really high... in 2023, we had another crazy wave... And then when we came down again, we were so much higher and we maintained this baseline. And so kind of in 2024, we're like, "Oh my gosh, like this thing is actually sticking around. It's actually growing and compounding over time."

explains mechanism · 1provides context · 1

Mechanism

AI has made chess more exciting and educational after initially making it boring, because neural-net engines introduced creative play and now serve as powerful training tools for human improvement.

Allebest argues that while early chess engines made the game mechanical and boring, neural-net AI reintroduced creative play and now serves as an essential tool for analysis, coaching, and puzzle generation, ultimately improving human enjoyment and skill.

transcript

Erik Allebest: Computers at first made chess a little bit more boring, but then made it so much more exciting. And we're seeing more exciting chess than we ever have... computers are now able to help us unlock the game in ways that like make our enjoyment of the game better. whether it's the AI kind of coach on game review... or playing against the computer or generating puzzles... So AI has just really helped, you know, humans enjoy chess more.

Fact

Human skill acquisition in chess (and generally) requires repetitive practice of small building blocks; there are no shortcuts, though AI tools can provide better guidance and make the process more accessible.

Drawing on Chess.com's data, Allebest asserts that mastering chess—or any skill—comes down to the compounding effect of daily, repetitive practice of fundamentals, with AI serving as an accelerant for learning but not a replacement for the necessary effort.

transcript

Erik Allebest: It's actually quite again quite an easy answer. It's just repetition of like the small building blocks and so it is doing puzzles, it is reviewing your mistakes... you have to put in the repetitions into your brain. You have to store that. It's the same as when you train a neural net... Our brains don't work quite that way but we have to put in the repetitions... you can't really shortcut practice. You have to put in the time.

gives example · 1

Prediction

Chess.com's poker platform introduces a skill-based rating system to shift focus from financial stakes to player ability, aiming to measure and value true skill rather than just bankroll size.

Allebest explains that Chess.com's new poker site, Gambit, applies a chess-like rating system to measure true player skill, aiming to make the rating as valuable and meaningful to players as the money itself.

transcript

Erik Allebest: We're bringing the chess playbook, which is like poker for ratings. How good are you really? Not just can you buy the most chips or can you use a bot or, you know, can you steal the most money, whatever it is, but like how good are you really? ... I think people are going to care about it as much as money because it's a reflection of like the value and their skill as a player.

supports · 1

Highlight slides

Growth Seemed Temporary—But Wasn't✦ from: Chess.com maintained its massive user growth after the COVID/Queen's Gambit surge because the new player base was sustained by ongoing cultural trends and product improvements.2023 Brought a Second Wave✦ from: Chess.com maintained its massive user growth after the COVID/Queen's Gambit surge because the new player base was sustained by ongoing cultural trends and product improvements.New Baseline Established✦ from: Chess.com maintained its massive user growth after the COVID/Queen's Gambit surge because the new player base was sustained by ongoing cultural trends and product improvements.Chess.com: From Fad to Big Business✦ from: Chess.com didn't consider itself a big business until 2024 because the initial growth spurts seemed like temporary fads, but the sustained higher baseline proved the market was real and larger than expected.

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Chess.com maintained its massive user growth after the COVID/Queen's Gambit surge because the new player base was sustained by ongoing cultural trends and product improvements.

Chess.com's competitive advantage came from a relentless focus on user experience, free access, and browser-based play, not from venture capital funding.

Chess.com didn't consider itself a big business until 2024 because the initial growth spurts seemed like temporary fads, but the sustained higher baseline proved the market was real and larger than expected.

AI has made chess more exciting and educational after initially making it boring, because neural-net engines introduced creative play and now serve as powerful training tools for human improvement.

Human skill acquisition in chess (and generally) requires repetitive practice of small building blocks; there are no shortcuts, though AI tools can provide better guidance and make the process more accessible.

Chess.com's poker platform introduces a skill-based rating system to shift focus from financial stakes to player ability, aiming to measure and value true skill rather than just bankroll size.

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