Chess in 2024 continued to operate within its own happy sphere, combining the rigorous intensity of competitive action with the over-the-top hype brought by content creators to once again attract millions of viewers. While the game may have plateaued a bit from its COVID-19 era days, it still enjoys a strong following globally.
This popularity was helped by a steady stream of competitions throughout the year, reinforced by the occasional streamer-led event. There were also the masters of the craft like Hikaru Nakamura dedicating a lot more time to being online and discussing all things Chess with their legions of fans.
Most watched chess channels in 2024
Chess24, the global leader when it comes to coverage of the game at various levels, tops the chart with over 20.87 million Hours Watched (HW). With over a dozen channels across various languages on YouTube Gaming and Twitch, it was the only entry to top the 10 million HW mark. Interestingly, the Chess24 team joined forces with its Chess.com counterparts at the end of 2023, leading to the closure of its website and mobile apps in January 2024. However, its livestreaming channels have continued to thrive thanks to a community of fans looking to follow top-level chess events and players.
Speaking of Chess.com, it comes in second with 7.86 million HW across numerous channels on Twitch and YouTube Gaming. With a massive presence across the globe, the world's largest chess website — which boasts over 180 million players — runs accounts in multiple languages on these two platforms. It is also one of the biggest organizers of Chess tournaments every year, with some of its events standing almost on par with FIDE's main competitions in terms of prestige, playing field, and prize pool.
World No 2 Nakamura is in the third spot with 7.5 million HW across his two channels on Kick and Twitch. The global star, who might be the most crucial streamer when discussing Chess' recent boom, has dedicated more and more time to staying online, even cutting down his participation in tournaments to do so. It remains to be seen how many events he will appear in this year, but fans can be sure that they will see more of him as a content creator.
Another popular company, ChessBase, is fourth, with its presence on YouTube Gaming bringing in 5.8 million HW. The community's two India-based channels are the most popular, with the country being one of the game's biggest markets. With an Indian emerging as the World Champion in December 2024, ChessBase India's coverage of the series helped make it the game's most popular channel (by peak concurrent viewership) in 2024.
Rounding off the top five is chessbrah, which calls itself the premier channel for chess entertainment. Canadian GMs Eric Hansen and Aman Hambleton run this community, with their success also helping them open an online merch store. This is also the last entry to touch over 2 million HW last year, with its channel on Kick seeing year-on-year growth of 211%.
Swedish-Spanish star Anna Cramling takes sixth place, with her Chess vlogs attracting around 1.89 million HW in 2024. The Woman FIDE Master often posts videos of herself playing against men, including those with Elo ratings, which have made her channel a hit among fans. She also collaborates with other player-streamers like the Botez Sisters to generate entertaining content for fans.
Russian star Crestbook Шахматы, or Crestbook Chess, is next. The channel is run by GM Sergey Shipov, who is considered a pioneer in the country and is arguably the most popular chess commentator in the Eurasian country. He often covers games between the strongest grandmasters in the world and gives viewers inside details and analyses of each move.
American International Master Levy Rozman, who runs the GothamChess channel, takes the eighth place. He remains one of North America's top creators when it comes to Chess, with his educational content on the game earning him the moniker of "The Internet's Chess Teacher." The 29-year-old even recently returned to competitive play as part of a long-term series on his channel covering his journey to achieve the Grandmaster title.
BlitzStream, the number one chess website in France, is ninth. It is run by web video producer Kévin Bordi to provide live chess commentary and focus on blitz play. Last but not least is the YouTube channel of World No 1 Carlsen, who might not be as active as a few other player-creators, but continues to find success in both fields.
