IM Danny Rensch, Chess.com's Chief Chess Officer, hosted the first State of Chess broadcast of the year on Tuesday, joined by guests Rory Kennedy, David Watkis, and Vinay Bhat. The four-hour show covered the Queen of Chess documentary, platform updates, trust and safety measures, and AI developments. Viewers engaged with questions during the live Q&A segment.
IM Danny Rensch led Chess.com's inaugural State of Chess on March 24, featuring discussions on key chess topics. Rory Kennedy, director of Netflix's Queen of Chess documentary about GM Judit Polgar, shared how the film has topped charts worldwide and sparked new interest in chess. 'I think showcasing women and making sure that they have a platform... makes all the difference,' Kennedy said, emphasizing role models for young players of all genders. The documentary highlights Polgar's rivalry with GM Garry Kasparov, providing narrative focus amid her groundbreaking career in a male-dominated field. Kennedy noted the eclectic soundtrack, blending classical and female punk to symbolize disruption in chess culture. Rensch then outlined Chess.com stats: 250 million registered users and over 23 million human-vs-human games played on February 17 alone. Uptime reached 99.95% in January. Event highlights included GM Magnus Carlsen's victory in the 2025 Speed Chess Championship finals in London, which sold out with double the prior audience. The ongoing Chess.com Open offers qualifiers for the 2026 Esports World Cup, with Carlsen, GM Alireza Firouzja, and GM Denis Lazavik already qualified via the Champions Chess Tour. Product updates featured revived streaks—user Merlin-Pendragon holds a 5,750-day record—an ad-free plan at $11.99 yearly, contact syncing, a mobile streak widget, and improved puzzles. David Watkis, Senior Product Manager for Trust and Safety, detailed proactive measures like AI detecting over 1,000 offensive usernames daily and chat toggles for friends-only interactions. 'Our goal is to make chess as appealing and accessible and fun and fair as possible for everybody,' Watkis stated. New AI/ML Director GM Vinay Bhat discussed human-like bots, personalized coaching, and AI as a tool expanding play: 'Top players leverage the engine... to expand their horizon.' In the Q&A, Rensch addressed proctoring improvements for fair play, upcoming features like an opening database from 32 billion games, and support for events like the Daniel Naroditsky Memorial in July.
