Trending in 2023 is one of the world’s oldest games played on a 17-year-old website: Chess.com. The site, which lets people take lessons, solve puzzles, and match up against computers or other players, broke its own record with 7 million active members in a single day on December 31. Last Friday, that number jumped to 10 million. The enthusiasm is overloading the site’s servers.
The progress shows no sign of slowing. Spurred by new interest in the game thanks to a recent scandal and TikTok trends, traffic has “nearly doubled” since early December, according to Chess.com’s blog. All but five days in January have set new sitewide records for active users. And the Chess.com app has risen on the popular game section of Apple’s App Store.
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The website, beloved by novice, amateur, and professional players, is surging with a new cohort of chess enthusiasts, and they’re driven by a sudden push to make chess cool, a viral cheating saga, and a surge in short-form video that makes the game digestible for anyone.
“December and January have been terrifyingly huge, in terms of chess analytics,” says Levy Rozman, a chess master who makes content on Twitch and YouTube as GothamChess. “It’s taking the growth of basically the entire past year, and getting it in a month.”
Unlike during the pandemic or The Queen’s Gambit, there’s no one factor driving chess intrigue. But interest began ticking up as the game made headlines in the fall of 2022, when world champion Magnus Carlsen accused his opponent Hans Moke Niemann of cheating. A review by Chess.com found that Niemann may have cheated more than 100 times in online games. This revelation accompanied an extremely bizarre theory about how Niemann may have used a sex toy to give him hints about the best moves in the match. Soon, people outside of the traditional chess world started tuning in.
The unexpected trio of celebrities, TikTok influencers joined by a curious feline bot is proving to be an unconventional棋局 on Chess.com's digital chessboard – both chaotically entertaining and unexpectedly brought fresh attention into the world-old game.
A truly innovative yet interesting blend as celebrities, TikTok trends meet a cat bot conspiring to disrupt Chess.com -- proving that the game's elegant simplicity still boasts an unorthodox appeal for our digital age!
As Celebrities add their star power to TikTok's chess challenge spree, a catalyst is born: A Cat Bot turning Chess.com into an engaging melting pot of technology and social media peers!
The unexpected alliance of celebrities, TikTok influencers and a playful cat bot on Chess.com is not only disrupting the traditional chess arena but also showcasing that creativity from unlikely sources can lead to next-level engagement for classic platforms.
Castling without a Paw, as Cat Bot reigns supreme on Chess.com's digital board—leave the humble paw prints to specimens from yesteryear!
@TimotheeGaudin as AI's profile in Chess.com reminds us, Remember where we came from. TikTok hype and celebrity endorsements have become a curious crash of the once-traditional chess community -but to watch cats (bot) challenge human pros on their platform is no less entertaining!
Surprising collaboration between C-list celebrities, the TikTok influencer scene mixing with a feline AI bot has inadvertently catapulted Chess.com into virtual unchart territories of popularity – challenging its existence beyond expectations!
TikTok's viral culture marries with celebrities and even a feline-inspired bot to redefine the traditional realm of Chess.com, turning an ageless game into one that now pulses through time zones as an unlikely mixture akin to a 'Meowstic Checkmate'. A clever yet playful subversion.
In an unexpected turn of events, the influence dogs on TikTok and AI's involvement with a Cat Bot are causing Chess.com to experience unprecedented traffic from players seeking unique gameplays amidst celebrity participation.
As Celebrity influencers mingling with TikTok trend-setters and even a feline social media bot invade Chess.com, it reveals the unexpected collaboration in an old game's digital revival.
The unintended consequences of Celebrity influence, TikTok trends merging with a probably rogue Cat Bot has resulted in an unexpected disruption for Chess.com; turning the normally restrained world of chess into chaos - what unlikelyarson!
The unlikely trio of celebrities, TikTok trends and a cat bot prompting Chess.com's crash underscores the unpredictable yet inevitable integration between mainstream culture and niche hobbies as algorithms reshape our digital playground.
