Chess.com

Chess.com is an online chess platform combining real-time play, learning tools, community features, competitive events, and broadcast programming. Founded in 2005 after Erik Allebest and Jay Severson acquired the chess.com domain, the company relaunched the platform publicly in May 2007 and developed it into a global destination for players ranging from beginners to titled professionals.

Its web and mobile products support blitz, bullet, rapid, daily correspondence chess, computer analysis, game review, puzzles, tactics training, interactive lessons, structured courses, and bot opponents. The platform also makes public REST APIs available for data including user profiles, clubs, archives, rankings, leaderboards, and game statistics.

Competition, content and learning

Chess.com produces and streams major online chess events, including Titled Tuesday, the Speed Chess Championship, PogChamps, the PRO Chess League, the Chess.com Global Championship, and the Computer Chess Championship. Its competitive programming spans elite professional play, creator-focused events, team leagues, and engine tournaments.

The company also supports scholastic chess through ChessKid, a child-focused learning platform with gamified progression and educational tools. Its instructional offering combines analysis and puzzles with video learning, courses, and training experiences designed for different skill levels.

Growth and operating model

Chess.com expanded through acquisitions including Chesspark and ChessVibes, then grew substantially during the 2020 online-chess surge. In 2022 it received a major growth investment from General Atlantic and acquired Play Magnus Group, bringing properties including the Champions Chess Tour, Chessable, Aimchess, and New In Chess into its broader ecosystem. CVC Capital Partners made an additional minority investment in 2024.

The business operates as a fully distributed, remote-first organization. Its team works across more than 60 countries, while Orem, Utah serves as its legal and administrative headquarters. The platform reports more than 250 million registered accounts and supports tens of millions of games each day.