Garry Kasparov and other chess experts will teach aspiring grandmasters how to play with new online platform
Start from square one.
Update: This article previously stated that Kasparovchess would include lessons from teachers that would cost extra. However, Dicebreaker has been informed that this is not a feature. Additionally, the cost for the annual subscription has been corrected.
Garry Kasparov, the World Chess Champion and grandmaster, has created a platform designed to teach new and advanced players to improve their skills.
Called Kasparovchess, the online platform will provide players with a collection of content based around the classic two-player game. (Thanks, Techcrunch.) This content will come from experienced and accredited chess players who have a passion for the game and want to share their knowledge with other people in the community.
Kasparovchess will feature several documentaries, articles, interviews and podcasts from professional players. According to Kasparov, “more than 1,000 videos have been recorded to date”, with a Discord server intended to match players and further develop a community on the way. A subscription to the platform will open access to 50,000 puzzles designed to train players and improve their skills in targeted areas.
Players will also be able to have their previously played games given a retrospective look on the platform - if they want to experience a more personalised approach to learning how to play chess.
Garry Kasparov is best known for being the youngest-ever World Chess Champion in the history of the game, winning the title at the age of 22 in 1985. The Russian player held the world title for the FIDE association - otherwise known as the International Chess Federation - for almost ten years until he created his own organisation, the Professional Chess Association. Kasparov also became the first chess player to be beaten by a computer, but continued to be the official World Chess Champion up until 2000.
Kasparov was an advisor for the popular 2020 Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, a drama starring Anya Taylor-Joy based on the novel by Walter Tevis, which tells the story of a chess prodigy who pursues a professional career during the 1960s Cold War era. The show became a catalyst for a growing interest in chess, with the NPD confirming that the sales of chess sets had almost doubled in the three weeks after its premiere.
Regarding the impact that The Queen’s Gambit had on people’s perspective of the game, Kasparov said: “I was so happy because it was the first time where we could see chess as a positive factor.”
Kasparovchess will be available by the end of April, with a monthly subscription costing $13.99 (£10) and a yearly subscription being $119.99 (£145).