Chess continues to occupy a unique space in the content creation landscape, although in a positive way. After its pandemic boom, the game has accrued a loyal fanbase that has also given it a player base that might be its highest ever, including streamers, gaming pros, and influencers who want to be a part of this success cycle.
When looking at the channels that have made Chess content one of their main priorities, American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura continues to dominate the rankings. During periods where he can broadcast more and play a good number of tournaments, the American invariably finds himself near the top of the pile.
That was the case during Spring this year, with other familiar names also showing up. To that effect, we have ranked below the best of these Chess streamers across platforms based on the Hours Watched metric.
Most watched Chess streamers in Spring 2024
Number one by a long distance was Hikaru Nakamura, whose two channels on Kick and Twitch combined for a total of 2M HW. In fact, his numbers on the former platform were more than the other two podium finishers combined, proving just how successful his move to live streaming alongside a highly successful playing career has been.
Second is BotezLive, the official channel of the superstar sister duo mentioned above. Interestingly, all the podium placers have two channels each on different streaming services, showing just how lucrative an option content creation on the ancient game has become. Moreover, a lot of creators in this ranking will have hit high watch times thanks to coverage of Chess events.
Rounding off the top three is Crestbook Шахматы, whose YouTube Gaming channel accumulated 729K HW between March 1 and May 30. It is run by the well-known Grandmaster-turned-commentator Sergei Shipov, who has recently become the de facto figure for Russian viewers who want news, updates, and analysis of events. He has also somewhat become a regular official broadcaster for many Chess tournaments when it comes to his native language.
Fourth is another female Chess player who has become highly popular thanks to her content on Twitch. AnnaCramling, the Swedish Woman FIDE Master, has become a darling of the internet thanks to her unique content, including playing games against strangers on the street, getting her mother to play the female world champion, and collaboration streams with the likes of the Botez sisters.
Raffael Chess is fifth with 384.7K HW, an improvement of 101% from the previous timeframe of the same length, and the only one to hit three figures in this top ten list. Real name Rafael Santos, the Brazilian is his country's most popular Chess content creator, with his reputation reaching such a stage that he can host tournaments that receive coverage from the likes of Chess.com.
Magnus Carlsen is sixth, with his YouTube channel accruing 334.6K HW, a fall of over 50% from his previous three-month spell. He is someone who doesn't look at numbers that much, and with the start of the year proving quite busy for the Norwegian thanks to a plethora of tournaments, he hasn't had time to stream that much.
Seventh is akaNemsko, the Chinese-born Canadian Chess player who holds the titles of Woman Grandmaster and FIDE Master. With her broadcasts on Twitch proving quite a hit among fans, she is one of the growing names with a pretty solid profile when it comes to female creators in the game.
GMNaroditsky, the channel of GM and recent Stanford University grad Daniel Naroditsky, is eighth. The American star currently takes up a lot of roles, including coaching the upcoming generation at the Charlotte Chess Center and commentating during various Chess competitions. He is also an accomplished author with two published books — Mastering Positional Chess (2010) and Mastering Complex Endgames (2012).
A second Russian-speaking name, Sergei Zhigalko, is ninth, with his resume including being a three-time national champion and a European and world champion in his age category. He is especially known for his live streams on bullet chess, where games are played with time controls that are faster than three minutes per player, with his opponents including the likes of Carlsen and GM Ding Liren (also the reigning world champion).
Last but not least is SpectateTyler1, the 'waiting room' for fans of Tyler1 that occasionally broadcasts his Chess games. The highly popular streamer has a rabid fanbase globally, and his streams often end up attracting millions, ensuring he has remained one of the most watched creators overall over the past few years.
Most watched Chess organization channels in Spring 2024
Six Chess.com channels have made this top ten most-watched list, proving once again why it remains the leader when it comes to all things Chess across the globe. While its chess24 Twitch and YouTube channels take the top two spots, the Spanish channel on the red platform is fourth, and the main channel on the purple platform is sixth.
There are also the chess24 India handle and the official YouTube account, giving the organization quite a flex. Readers must note that late last year, chess24 merged with chess.com to bring together two of the most prominent and detailed databases containing millions of stats and news items from the game's long history. The former then shut shop earlier this year, with the two parties agreeing to focus on the latter's growing influence and reach around the world.
There's another organization with two channels on this leaderboard — chessbrah — whose Kick and Twitch occupy the fifth and eighth spots. It is one of the oldest chess entertainment and education portals that is hosted by Canadian GMs Eric Hansen and Aman Hambleton, with its popularity big enough to allow it to sell merch via an official website.
The last two entries are from India and France, each representing the biggest such destinations for Chess in their countries. German company Chessbase is a massive name within the community as it develops and sells chess software, maintains a news site, and operates an internet server for online games.
BlitzStream, meanwhile, was created and is headed by Kévin Bordi and has become the number one Chess website in the European nation. It mostly celebrates the blitz format that includes commentary and educative videos to help players at all levels to improve their skills.
