How Much Money Does Chess.com Make? Over $100 Million Per Year - 33rd Square (2025)

Chess.com has established itself as the dominant global platform for playing, learning, and engaging with chess online. The website likely generated over $100 million in annual revenue in 2022 through its various monetization channels. Let‘s take an in-depth look at how Chess.com makes money and the key factors driving its success.

Driving Billions of Games Among Over 100 Million Members

As the world‘s largest online chess site, Chess.com had attracted an incredible 100 million registered members by the end of 2022. On average, these members play more than 8.5 million games per day for a total of over 1 billion games per year on the platform.

With a user base this massive engaging in billions of chess battles annually, Chess.com possesses tremendous monetization potential through premium subscriptions, advertising, partnerships and more.

Premium Memberships – A Steady Cash Cow

The majority of Chess.com‘s revenue stems from the site‘s premium membership options. For prices ranging from $5 per month up to $159 per year, members gain access to a variety of advanced lessons, videos, chess insights and analysis tools not available to free users.

Here‘s a breakdown of the membership tiers and features:

• Gold – $5/month or $39/year. Custom chess lessons, unlimited puzzles, video library access and more.

• Diamond – $8/month or $79/year. Adds unlimited 1-on-1 chess lessons and video lessons with grandmasters.

• Platinum – $12/month or $119/year. Top training features, deep computer analysis of your games and zero ads.

• Diamond PRO – $15/month or $159/year. Maximized lessons, elitegrandmaster videos, priority support and multi-device access.

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While Chess.com does not disclose exact subscriber numbers, the site likely has hundreds of thousands of members across these paid tiers based on its over 100 million total members. With average revenue per user of $5 to $15 per month, premium subscriptions produce steady income at scale.

Monetizing 60 Million Monthly Visitors with Advertising

In addition to membership fees, Chess.com monetizes its massive audience reach through advertising. With over 60 million monthly visitors across desktop and mobile, the site offers prime access to an engaged, high-value audience.

Video ads and display ads appear on Chess.com alongside user content. Major brands across categories like finance, technology, entertainment and automotive pay to gain visibility among chess.com‘s desirable demographic of educated, affluent users.

For context, websites with 60 million monthly visitors can often generate tens of millions per year in ad revenues alone. Chess.com‘s passionate user base that spends significant time on-site makes it even more attractive for advertisers aiming to achieve brand lift.

Sponsors and Partners Clamor for Chess Fans‘ Attention

Chess.com has become a magnet for sponsorship deals and partnerships as the epicenter of the global online chess community. Major consumer brands pay Chess.com significant sums for exposure opportunities around exclusive events and content.

For example, financial services companies like FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange have sponsored Chess.com‘s elite Meltwater Champions Chess Tour tournaments featuring millions in prize money. Luxury watchmaker Movado sponsored ChessKid Lessons on Chess.com as a brand visibility play.

These types of deals allow sponsors hoping to reach affluent professionals and families to tap into Chess.com‘s audience while also generating revenue for the platform.

Expanding its Educational Products and Services

While already the internet‘s top destination for playing chess, Chess.com sees significant potential in teaching the game to improve players‘ skills. The "Learn" section offers structured lessons, videos, tactics training and courses for all levels from beginners to advanced.

Some grandmasters now sell access to personalized online chess lessons through the site as well. With the global market for online education projected to reach $350 billion by 2025, Chess.com is well-positioned to drive more revenue through virtual learning products and services around the game.

Traction with Mobile Apps Adds Another Monetization Stream

Beyond the website, Chess.com has built popular mobile apps for iOS and Android available to over 100 million smartphone users worldwide. The apps allow members to play games on the go, continue lessons, solve puzzles and more.

Available as free downloads, Chess.com‘s apps do contain in-app purchases for premium features as another monetization avenue. The apps also generate revenue through Apple and Google‘s app store fees based on the number of downloads.

Building the Future – Expansion, Localization and Technology

Looking ahead, Chess.com is focused on several key strategic initiatives to sustain rapid growth:

• Localization – Translating the site into new languages like Portuguese, Turkish and Thai opens up membership growth globally.

• Technology – Continued investment in proprietary chess software and AI matchmaking improves the user experience.

• Experiential Events – In-person tournaments and pop-up experiences attract new users and sponsors.

• Acquisitions – Buying sites like Chess24.com and ChessKid expands Chess.com‘s audience scale.

With these moves, Chess.com is cementing its position as the online home of chess now and in the future. The company stands to become a billion dollar asset as it monetizes the game‘s ubiquitous global appeal.

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