Ah, the joys of Tik Tok. One minute you’re watching a video of a dog doing backflips, and the next thing you know, you’re deep in a black hole of related videos. That’s exactly how one teenager stumbled upon the wonderful world of chess. And not only that, he got his whole frat house obsessed with it too. Talk about peer pressure.
But apparently, this Tik Tok trend isn’t unique to just him. Many other youngsters have fallen into the chess trap (or should we say, checkmate?). They can’t even remember how it all started, but now they’re hooked. And let’s be real, who wouldn’t want to spend their days staring at a board, making calculated moves while suppressing their urge to flip the whole thing over?
The surge of chess enthusiasts has even been confirmed by reliable sources. That’s right, players, parents, teachers, and even website metrics have all noted the game’s recent explosion in popularity. And don’t even get us started on the data.
According to Chess.com (their name says it all), their daily active users have doubled in just a few months. From 5.4 million in November to a whopping 11 million now. That’s more than some celebrities have followers. And yes, we know comparing chess to Beyoncé is a stretch, but hear us out.
Chess.com doesn’t just offer a platform to play the game. They’ve got the news, they’ve got the tutorials, and they even have computer opponents. Plus, they’ve made some big moves themselves. In December, they acquired the Play Magnus Group. You know, started by that guy who’s an actual world champion chess player. Casual.
As for who’s driving this chess-mania? The youngins, of course. Those who are 13-17 years old have been flocking to Chess.com like birds to a birdbath. In January and February alone, over 549,000 of them visited the site. That’s more than double the amount from the previous two months. And don’t worry, the 18-24-year-olds are catching up too. It’s a competition, after all.
We know what you’re thinking. Playing chess at parties? That sounds like the most thrilling thing since watching paint dry. But apparently, it’s a thing. A trend, even. Who needs beer pong when you have a rook? (Okay, fine, beer pong is still pretty cool). And according to Ms. Schwartz, people of all ages are jumping on the chess bandwagon. So, what are you waiting for? Grab a board, find a partner, and let the games begin.

Serious News: nytimes