One of the most famous board games in the world, Chess, is believed to have originated in India as far as almost fifteen centuries ago. Lately, the game has attracted more attention than it has for the past years. So what were the factors that pushed so many new players to start playing this ancient game all of a sudden?
To discuss this matter, it is important to take into consideration the situation the world has fallen into right now. During the pandemic, many people have found enjoyment in activities like chess: challenging, fun, and collaborative, but most importantly – an activity that can be done without leaving the house.
Another factor that played a major role in the resurrection of chess culture was the Number One Blitz Player: Hikaru Nakamura. The international grandmaster gained popularity throughout the world thanks to his streaming career on a popular streaming platform Twitch. The grandmaster’s account has been steadily gaining more and more followers and his streams have reached thousands of viewers around the world.
Other factors that influenced Hikaru’s fame were his collaborations with internet celebrities – streamers and other content creators, such as xQC, Pokimane, MrBeast, rapper Logic, and many more. As the popularity of chess all over the world was increasing, Hikaru organized several tournaments on his stream to show his viewers how entertaining and consuming a game of chess can be.
But perhaps the most influential event on the popularity of chess in 2020, was “The Queen’s Gambit” – Netflix Original Series featuring a female chess prodigy, Beth Harmon, and her journey to become the world's best chess player, while also describing the hardships of being a woman in a male-dominated sport. The series was extremely successful and ranked Number One in many of the countries on Netflix. It attracted the attention of not only the long-time chess enthusiast but of those who had not touched a chessboard in their entire lives.
The extraordinary success of the series in Georgia was partially fueled by a reference to a Georgian Chess Player, Nona Gaprindashvili.
Websites, such as lichess.org and chess.com, the two most widely used platforms for playing chess, skyrocketed in user numbers. More and more people started playing chess, many for fun, but a lot of them also took the sport seriously. Even today, there are daily and weekly tournaments all around the world, some professional, and some simply for fun.
The popularity of chess spread to GZAAT as well. The recent chess tournament is a clear example of how popular the game has become, but even before the pandemic began, the lounges were filled with occupied chess boards, with friendly matches between students and teachers alike.
It is interesting to see how the perspective on chess has shifted so rapidly, from being seen as a complicated area of expertise, to an enjoyable hobby.
Edited by Lika Gegenava
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