AUGUST 2020 | USCHESS.ORG | Plus more from Dunne, Foisor, and Yip | Cover Story / Streaming THE NEW CHESS BOOM “Chess streamers” are taking over Twitch. Wondering what that means? IM Eric Rosen explains. efore unpacking the meteoric rise of World Championship, casting chess as a key analytics—this was, after, before the internet Hikaru Nakamura as a leader of the battle in a global Cold War and bringing home and tracking cookies! But anecdotal evidence B“new craze” of chess streaming on a big win for the “good guys.” Fischer’s saga is more than enough to prove that chess Twitch, I would like to ask a simple question. captivated the mainstream media here and prospered. In the documentary Bobby Fischer When was the last chess boom? abroad, and with the voice of Shelby Lyman Against the World, Shelby Lyman surmised, I would guess that most readers immediately delivering move-by-move commentary, the “After the match, he [Fischer] was supposedly thought of the era a near half-century ago. drama was broadcast to millions of living rooms better known by the population of the world Even if you, like me, are too young to have across the country. Through this spectacle a vast than anyone except for Jesus Christ.” I think lived through the 1970s, chances are you know new audience encountered our game. it’s safe to assume there were more people the story of the Fischer Boom. It isn’t easy to find precise data quantifying enthralled with chess in 1972 than people who GM Robert J. (“Bobby”) Fischer challenged the extent and impact of the Fischer Boom. hoarded toilet paper and hand sanitizer in and defeated GM Boris Spassky in the 1972 We lack the luxury of YouTube or Twitch March of 2020. (Okay, maybe it’s a close call… 30 August 2020 | Chess Life Cover Story / Streaming GOLDDUSTTORI CELEBRATES HER FIRST SMOTHERED MATE ON STREAM but you get the point.) Magnus Carlsen and GM Fabiano Caruana. investment of time and dedication to fully In the years that have passed since Despite these blips, we have to be frank. appreciate the game’s compelling beauty the Fischer Boom, it’s hard to identify a Chess has suffered a from a marketing and addicting nature. In a 2015 segment of comparable period of sustained growth and problem for a long time. While hardcore chess The Daily Show, Jon Stewart half-jokingly prosperity for our beloved game. For several enthusiasts are loathe to admit it, chess is not pretended to fall asleep at the beginning of decades after Fischer abruptly vanished from inherently a spectator-friendly sport. the segment covering chess, saying “I didn’t the chess scene, chess’ popularity stagnated. A traditional chess competition simply realize how boring chess was until someone Of course, there have been moments where does not generate the same level of intrigue as else started talking about it.” chess has been in the media spotlight: the do physical sports or even video games. For Let me make it clear that I am bringing up “Man versus Machine” matches featuring non-initiates, watching two grandmasters play these points not with the intention of bashing Deep Blue and GM Garry Kasparov come to a game of chess for hours in dead silence and a game that so many of us cherish. I’m simply mind, as do the epic battles between Kasparov solitude can be as dull as watching paint dry. trying to help readers better understand the and his eternal rival GM Anatoly Karpov. The There is no cheering crowd. No live hurdles and stereotypes that chess has faced American press was captivated by the 2018 scoreboard. No visually enthralling motion in the past, and how a new shifting online World Championship Match between GM graphics. Chess requires a significant chess culture is revolutionizing the game. THE ONLINE CHESS EXPLOSION When I was first asked to write this piece on Z A global pandemic causing lockdowns Z Chess organizers across the country and the booming online chess ecosystem, the task and the cancellation of sporting events, the world hosting online tournaments seemed daunting. There are so many layers to concerts, etc., driving more people featuring cash prizes unpeel and areas to address. to search online for new forms of Z The proliferation of online learning Unlike the Fischer Boom, the current entertainment resources, including virtual chess camps, chess renaissance we are living through is not Z Platforms like Chess.com, lichess.org, and online courses, and Chessable defined by a single individual or event. Rather, Chess24 creating an infrastructure where Z Podcasts (including the Perpetual Chess it’s the culmination of endless chess activity tens of millions of chess games are played Podcast, Agadmator’s Podcast, and four experiencing rapidly growth and evolution. on a monthly basis different shows from US Chess) featuring There are multiple factors contributing to this Z The $1 million Magnus Carlsen Invitational long-form interviews with personalities in the new chess renaissance. While it is impossible tournament series on Chess24, hosting a chess community with various perspectives to dig into them all, here are a few of the most series of elite online events and showcasing Z A large and active chess community on important: the world’s top players Twitter and Reddit with ongoing discussion www.uschess.org 31 Cover Story / Streaming AUTHOR OF COURTESY PHOTO: BEHIND THE SCENES Much like chess, streaming on Twitch normal. Start with minimal expectations Don’t worry about the numbers is a skill developed through continual and then to make every stream a little bit In the beginning, viewership and growth learning, hard work, and dedication. better than the last. can be slow. Don’t get too wrapped Because Twitch is relatively new and up over your viewership and follower constantly evolving, the learning process Equipment and Software numbers. It’s most important to enjoy and best practices are not so well defined. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the what you’re doing and build meaningful You won’t learn how to stream in a tools needed to begin streaming. While relationships with your viewers. If you traditional educational setting. Many of getting started does take some effort in provide value and stay authentic to us learn through trial and error along the beginning, not too much is required. yourself, the audience will come! with YouTube tutorials (which isn’t At the bare minimum, you need: necessarily a bad thing!). Here are some • A Twitch account Set up a streamer profile tips for aspiring chess streamers and • A decent laptop (Twitch recommends at Create a streamer profile on lichess.org YouTubers to take their content game to least an Intel i5 processor and 8GB of RAM) (https://lichess.org/streamer) or chess. the next level. • A steady wifi connection com (https://www.chess.com/streamers). • Streaming software— I recommend Both sites provide resources to get your Don’t be afraid to start Streamlabs OBS for Windows and OBS stream started. I had an ambition of starting a Twitch for Mac. Both are free to download! channel in 2015, but I didn’t actively Additionally, an external microphone can Anyone can set up a streamer profile start streaming until late 2017. Of course drastically improve the audio quality of on lichess.org and have their stream there will be hurdles and challenges early your stream. For starters, I recommend promoted on the streamers page when on, but the best way to learn is by doing. the Samson Go Mic, a small and you mention “lichess.org” in the title. On Your first stream will not be perfect. It portable condenser microphone (good Chess.com, you can apply to become a may take dozens of streams to find your for drowning out background noise) partnered streamer and receive various comfort and rhythm. That’s completely available for less than $40. promotion benefits. about current events within the chess world Chess is more accessible than ever. Anyone very possibly far greater. I do not think that Z An influx of chess streamers creating with a mobile device and an internet connection this is just a short-lived fad; rather, I believe it regular content and realizing the joy of (which is everyone, right?) has a plethora of is very likely we will continue to see sustained building a community ways to play, watch, learn, and enjoy the game. growth and a golden age for years to come. Z The success of Chess.com’s PogChamps, Regardless of one’s chess ability, learning style, To illustrate the unprecedented growth and a tournament featuring some of the top or entertainment tastes, there is something for potential for sustaining it, one need look no streamers and personalities on Twitch, every chess fan in today’s age. further than Twitch. which is consequently driving a vast new We are currently living through one of the Since its founding in 2011, Twitch has audience to the game. greatest chess booms since the Fischer era, and revolutionized the live streaming of games. 32 August 2020 | Chess Life Cover Story / Streaming chess streamers! PogChess.com has an extensive list of the chess streamers on Twitch. Pay attention to what they do and what you can potentially emulate. Here’s a brief list of some go-to stream ideas: play viewers, conduct a simul, join a tournament, puzzle rush, Q&A, hand & brain collaboration, commentate top level games, host a viewer tournament, learn/teach an opening, and even four-player chess. I encourage you to keep your own list of stream ideas and continually add to it! Develop your brand Not everyone is Hikaru Nakamura.