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Current landscape of chess platform as I understand it: lichess: non-profit, free and open source, community oriented, high quality tech, growing userbase, a
by erostrate 5y ago
Current landscape of chess platform as I understand it:
lichess: non-profit, free and open source, community oriented,
high quality tech, growing userbase, amazing founder ornicar, much loved by its users and supporters including me. Regular online competitions well attended but doesn't organise major events. Doesn't really do things like video lessons or partnership with streamers as far as I know, probably due to non-profit status and community focus.
chess.com: for-profit, the largest user base, led by IM Danny Rensch. Tech is not as good as lichess but still okay-ish. Organises major events with GM commentators. Has partnerships with major streamers, such as the most successful (but controversial) US number 2 GM Hikaru Nakamura. I used to support them before lichess got big.
chess24: for-profit, led by GM Jan Gustaffson, much smaller than chess.com and lichess, supported by current world champion GM Magnus Carlsen. Tech is worse than both lichess and chess.com. Also organises important events, and also produces high quality content such as video lessons. I'm considering supporting them too as I watch a lot of their content but I just enjoy playing on lichess too much.
One fascinating thing is how both for-profit chess.com and chess24 have much worse tech than non-profit lichess despite presumably large budgets. For example chess24 platform has been under development for years and has become a running joke even for its employees. You'd think a chess website would be fairly simple tech in the grand scheme of things but clearly it's still hard to do it right. A testament to how impressive lichess founder and community is.
- Bootvis 5y agoI follow chess quite a lot but I still don’t know how chessable, which has major GM support, relates to chess24.
- erostrate 5y agoMy understanding is that chessable was founded by streamer IM John Bartholomew as an educational platform, and like chess24 got acquired by Magnus Carlsen's group. I believe they are trying to create some synergies between chess24 and chessable but they still operate fairly separately.
- kzrdude 5y agoChess.com is not lead by IM Danny Rensch alone. He has a C-title (chief chess officer). I did a double take there because that would be an amazing fact. Danny Rensch is one of the best things with chess.com overall. Wikipedia can tell you about which the leaders of chess.com are https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess.com
- Lapsa 5y agoAlso - lichess has largest presence of cheaters.
- Zenchess 5y agoChess24 has a playing zone site redesign that is a massive improvement. It's currently in beta testing for premium members only.
- chakhs 5y agoDo you have screenshots?
- navanchauhan 5y agoDo note that Magnus Carlsen and other GMs ( who don’t have a exclusive contract with chess.com ) regularly play on Lichess as well
- YetAnotherNick 5y agoI love lichess but it is hard to argue tech is better than chess.com. Chess.com analysis board is better(although for free membership it is lot worse), they have more number of puzzles, they organize CCC, their anti cheating detection is the most advanced and this all is without coming to UI part in which most feel it to be better or at least more customizable.
- kzrdude 5y agoLichess has a snappy chess board, it's a feel you can't help but notice and it is one of the most important technologies for a chess site. Basically lichess > chess.com > chess24 in the playing surface