Chess is weird. It’s a game where literally nothing is hidden—no fog of war, no luck of the draw, no dice rolls—yet it manages to make some of the smartest people on earth look completely foolish. Honestly, if you’ve spent any time on Twitch or YouTube lately, you’ve probably noticed that chess isn't just for quiet parks or dusty libraries anymore. It’s loud. It’s aggressive. It’s kind of a mess, but in the best way possible.
The surge in popularity isn't just some lingering "Queen’s Gambit" effect. It’s deeper than that. People are realizing that chess is the original esport. When Magnus Carlsen, arguably the greatest to ever play, resigned a game against Hans Niemann after just one move in 2022, it sparked a cheating scandal that reached the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. That wasn't just about a board game; it was high-stakes drama that highlighted a massive problem in the digital age: how do we prove someone isn't using an engine in a game that computers solved decades ago?
The Problem With Being Perfect
Here is the thing about chess in 2026. Computers are too good. If you pull up Stockfish—the open-source engine most people use—it will find moves that no human would ever dream of. This has fundamentally changed how professionals prepare. They aren't just looking for "good" moves; they are memorizing lines that go 20 or 30 moves deep just to survive the opening.
It’s grueling.
Grandmasters like Fabiano Caruana or Hikaru Nakamura spend hours every day looking at a screen, clicking through variations, trying to find one tiny "novelty" that might catch an opponent off guard. This "engine prep" has made the top level of the game incredibly draw-heavy. When two players both play perfectly, the game ends in a tie. That’s just the math of the board. Because of this, the community has shifted toward "Blitz" and "Bullet" chess. These are games played with only minutes or even seconds on the clock. It’s chaotic. Pieces fly. People mouse-slip. It turns a game of pure logic into a game of pure adrenaline and pattern recognition.
Why Your Rating Is Stuck
Most casual players get obsessed with their ELO rating. You hit 800, then 1000, then you plateau. It’s frustrating. You’ve probably watched a dozen "GothamChess" videos and you still hang your queen. The reality is that chess is less about "thinking" and more about "seeing."
Expert players don't calculate every possibility. They use "chunking." This is a psychological concept where the brain recognizes patterns of pieces as a single unit rather than individual bits of information. If a Grandmaster looks at a board for three seconds, they can recreate it perfectly because they see the "story" of the position. If you show them a board with randomly placed pieces that couldn't happen in a real game, they’re no better at remembering it than you are.
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To get better, you basically have to feed your brain thousands of these patterns until they become subconscious. It’s why tactics trainers are more important than reading old books about the Sicilian Defense.
The Dark Side of the Board
We have to talk about the cheating. It is the elephant in the room. Online platforms like Chess.com and Lichess catch thousands of cheaters every month, but at the high level, it’s much more subtle. You don't need a computer to tell you every move. You just need it to buzz in your pocket—or elsewhere—during two or three critical moments to tell you "there is a win here."
This paranoia has changed the physical environment of tournaments. Players are wanded with metal detectors. Their pens are checked. In some cases, there’s a delay on the broadcast so no one can relay engine moves to the players in real-time. It’s a bit sad, really. The purity of "man vs. man" is constantly shadowed by the "ghost in the machine."
The Rise of the Content Creators
Chess has become a "lifestyle" category. Look at the Botez sisters or Levy Rozman. They’ve turned a silent game into a spectator sport with screaming, memes, and high-production value. This shift has democratized the game. You don't need to be a member of a stuffy club in Manhattan to learn the game. You just need a smartphone.
But there’s a downside to the "entertainment-first" model.
Deep, positional chess is being sidelined for "traps" and "tricks." You’ll see titles like "WIN IN 7 MOVES" all over your feed. While these are fun, they don't actually teach you how to play chess. They teach you how to hope your opponent is bad. Real chess is about the grind. It’s about realizing your bishop is slightly better than their knight and nursing that advantage for two hours until they finally crack.
How to Actually Improve Your Game
If you actually want to get better and not just watch streamers, you need a boring plan.
First, stop playing Bullet. It’s like eating candy for dinner. It tastes good, but it’s ruining your "chess health." You need to play longer games—15 or 30 minutes—where you actually have time to think about why a move is bad before you make it.
Second, analyze your losses. It hurts. It’s humiliating to see the engine tell you that you had a "Mate in 3" and you completely missed it. But that’s where the growth happens. If you don't look at your mistakes, you are doomed to repeat them forever.
Third, focus on the endgame. Everyone loves the opening. Everyone wants to play the "Fried Liver Attack." But most games are won or lost when there are only a few pieces left. If you know how to win a King and Pawn vs. King ending, you are already better than 70% of the people on the internet.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Player
- Solve 10 puzzles a day: Don't guess. Don't move the piece until you see the final checkmate in your head. This builds mental stamina.
- Play one "slow" game a week: Use a 30-minute clock. Treat it like a ritual. No distractions, no music, just the board.
- Study the classics: Look at games from Bobby Fischer or Mikhail Tal. They played in an era before engines, so their moves feel more "human" and easier to understand for us mere mortals.
- Use the 20/40/40 rule: Spend 20% of your time on openings, 40% on tactics (puzzles), and 40% on analyzing your own games.
- Check your ego: You are going to lose. A lot. Even the best players in the world lose. The goal isn't to never lose; it's to lose in new and interesting ways.
Chess isn't going anywhere. It has survived the fall of empires, the invention of the internet, and the rise of AI. It’s a reflection of our own minds—logical, flawed, and occasionally brilliant. Whether you're playing for a world championship or just trying to beat your uncle during the holidays, the board is always there, waiting for you to make a mistake.