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Are We Entering A New Golden Age Of Chess?

Are We Entering A New Golden Age Of Chess?

CHESScom
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Established veterans face a new generation of up-and-coming talent in the Candidates Tournament, with three contenders under the age of 21. Meanwhile, teenagers continue to set new records and break the boundaries of what we thought was possible.

Also, the Martin bot has gained sentience and keeps sending us threatening messages about taking over the world. But that doesn't seem like something we need to be concerned about... right?

Here's what this update covers: 


Product & Engineering

The Chess.com team, for one, welcomes our new AI overlord.

The 'Generation Martin' bot on Chess.com

  • March's murder mystery has reached its conclusion. Over 12 million of you put on your detective caps to discover who killed the Green Pawn (spoiler alert: it was Tina Tempo).
  • Luckily, there are plenty of new bots for you to enjoy playing: the all-new Generation Bots are here, representing Gen X, Gen Z, and... Generation Martin?
  • Those aren't the only new bots in town, with the brand-new GM Ben Finegold bot (aka Bot Finegold) making its debut, featuring plenty of sharp wit and sharp tactics.
  • You may have spotted new gameplay animations during your online games; see your opponent's active theme when the game starts, and enjoy a more festive celebration screen.
  • Last month, we added 4,948 puzzles, bringing the total number of playable puzzles to a whopping 839,869. Only a matter of time before we reach a million!

If you are in tech and would like to join our team, we're hiring!

Events

There's a buzz in the chess world right now, with the biggest event of the year underway.

Community

Another month, another list of reasons why the chess community is one of the best in the world.

Chess.com Opening Roulette graphic.

Content

Who should you support in the Candidates, and what does Magnus think? Let's find out.

Chessable

It might not be real, but we kind of wish it was. Check out Chessable's all-new, all-fictional exercise program in the video below. Also, cool new courses!

ChessKid

IM Alice Lee, FM Faustino Oro, and GM-elect (!) Yagiz Erdogmus. Remember the names; you'll be hearing a lot more about them in the years to come.

  • Ten-year-old Fausti Oro won a game while streaming on his YouTube channel. No big deal, right? Well, the game was against world number-one Magnus Carlsen!
  • Speaking of ChessKid ambassadors and winning things... 14-year-old Alice Lee won the Women's American Cup, defeating GM Irina Krush in the blitz play-offs.
  • Yagiz Erdogmus is a familiar name to anyone who followed the 2022 ChessKid Youth Chess Championship, which he won in dominant fashion. He now has an all-new distinction: he will be the world's youngest current grandmaster after earning his third norm!

Fair Play

Another month, another 22+ million rating points returned to their rightful owners.

Chess.com's Fair Play numbers for March 2024.

Fair Play stats for March:

  • 323,954 reports created
  • 58,760 Fair Play closures (including 15 titled players: 5 NMs, 5 FMs, 1 GM, 4 CMs)
  • 66.6K mute actions
  • 57.6K accounts muted
  • 135.4K abuse closures
  • 22,720,687 rating points refunded

Support

Questions? Problems? The Support Team is here to help.

  • Average Time to First Response: 1 day, 20 hours
  • Total Requests Received: 79,293
  • Average Quality by Member Rating: 95%
  • Total Ratings: 5,610

Thank you for being part of the world's largest chess community. Let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!

Missed an update? You'll find last month's edition here.

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