Since the show’s launch last month, online interest in chess has exploded with apps, newsboards and twitch videos.
Check out the latest performance of chess apps: Chess.com, the biggest app dedicated to the game, was already enjoying a big 2020, and thanks in large part to the epidemic that forced people to play more games. According to data provided by Censor Tower, Cess.com recorded 979,000 downloads in April – but in the first three weeks of November, when the app was downloaded 1.4 million times, that number had already eclipsed. This represents a 179% increase from October.
Ginga’s chess with friends usage has also increased in recent downloads. The free version of the app has been downloaded 18,000 times in the first three weeks of November, 125% more than last month, according to Censor Tower. The subscription to the app, the ad-free version works even better, increasing 220% to 16,000 downloads from October to November 23rd.
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Beyond playing, more and more people are interested in talking about chess. Reddit.com/R/Chess, a site for chess conversations on Reddit, has enjoyed its own “Queen’s Compete” boost. In the month leading up to the show’s subtitle, it had an average of 30,000 unique viewers, 122,000 page views and 225 new followers per day. Since the show hit Netflix, those figures have skyrocketed. This month, r / chess has received an average of 50,000 unique hits a day and 179,000 page views, and its followers have almost tripled, with an average of 704 new subscribers a day.
Some Reddit users are open about how the show recreated their love for Game of Kings. “As Sheebel does, the show evoked memories of my dad teaching me chess when I was a boy. [on the] The show has seemed a bit unfocused in recent episodes, according to Scotland’s 39-year-old Craig. “So I wanted to see if I could still play. I installed some [chess] Apps and playing a dozen or more games a day. ”
Others became interested in chess because of the show. An R / Chess user commented: “I like it [“The Queen’s Gambit”] – Haha has been teaching me chess since I finished. “Another user said they pinged all seven episodes of the show in one day and it” finally inspired me to teach chess. “
That user alone does not seem to be impressed. In Twitches, viewers can stream videos in chess strategy or watch broadcasters play upside down, with significant improvement in the time devoted to chess content.
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So far this month, Twitch has viewed 4.9 million hours of chess content, according to data provided by Sally Gnome Stream Elements, a site dedicated to keeping track of Twitch figures. This is already a 14% increase compared to October, with one more week in November. Twitch streamers are also releasing more chess content to meet that demand. As of November 23, 39,000 hours of new chess content have been released on Twitz this month – on track to cross the 41,000-hour chess content mark last month. Chase, head of communications at Stream Elements, said viewers see more than twice as much chess content in Twitches as they did at the same time last year.
Of course, some of these may be due to COVID-19. With less entertainment options, people are more attracted towards games and streaming. But reports from People say that’s just what’s happening in the last few months, and the “Queen’s Gambit” is no doubt inspiring new chess players.
