If you’re looking for more information on Chess.com or looking for the best place to play Chess online, you’re in the right place.
This is a comprehensive overview of Chess.com. We go over everything you need to know about the site so you can make the best decision that would work for you the most. There are only a few websites to play Chess on, Chess.com is the largest and most popular. And for good reason, as you’ll learn below.
Let’s get started.
Features
Chess.com has both free and paid features. And both have an abundance of options, tools, and resources to learn and play.
Free features
Chess.com is a beloved chess site and is one of the most popular options on the internet that many utilize for their chess purposes. Here you will discover if it’s right for you and if it’s worth considering. You get a lot with the basic free account and the first most important feature is the ability to play unlimited chess on all different settings. This can be online or against a computer opponent if you want to study moves in a no-pressure setting.
You can adjust the time and style of play and options include daily, rapid, blitz, and bullet so you get a wide variety. There is access to chess variants that can spice up the game and give you a new perspective including 4 player chess, bughouse, 3-check, and many more! Join tournaments here and see where you stand on the leaderboards for a taste of prestige. If you feel you need to improve then there are some convenient chess lessons here. There is also the feature that allows you to join a league or club here. Other free features worth mentioning include:
- Unlocking achievements and getting rewards
- Sending cheers and badges to friends
- Browse and study your entire game archive
- Piece and board customization options
- Create your own blog
- Post on the forums
- Explore master games
- Open Library and open explorer
- Practice end games and puzzles
Paid Features
The paid features is really where Chess.com rises above any other site. As great as all the free features they offer are, the paid ones are even better.
At Chess.com, there are a few different ranks of membership and after the free version, you have gold, platinum, and diamond options.
With Gold, you will reap the benefits of no advertisements which can hinder your focus. Users also have access to advanced editing tools on the profile page. You can create your own exclusive club and unlock every single endgame position for analysis.
25 puzzles are available to complete every day instead of only 3. You will have access to unlimited game reports and analysis along with 67 computer personalities to explore and learn from.
If you’re looking to explore the openings further then gold is perfect because it gives you complete access to opening theory. Other Gold options include:
- All drills unlocked
- 3 vacation days per month
- Automatic time out protection
- Custom flair icons
Platinum will include some even more exclusive features such as unlimited puzzles and this will have unlimited access to puzzle rush or puzzle battles. You will have unlimited beginner lessons along with 5 other lessons per week in other selections of your choosing.
This option has 5 vacation days a month and even more custom icons. One feature that really stands out here is the ability to invite your friends to the analysis of your games.
Chess.com offers monthly options and yearly options.
You save a large percentage if you get a yearly plan. I got the yearly Diamond membership and don’t regret it in the slightest.
Diamond is the most prestigious of the subscriptions and offers you unlimited lessons in all sections along with complete access to their video library. More custom flair icons are available with diamond and you have the ability to customize your analysis settings.
Max analysis is also available here where you can dive the deepest into your games and others to gain a fuller understanding.
Options
Whether you’re trying to improve your chess or simply have a good time, chess.com will cater to each individual need and give you an increased perspective on the sport. However, other sites might be more suitable for improvement than this platform but this doesn’t mean you can’t thrive from the extensive analysis here.
The interface here is superb and you can tell that there is incredible attention to detail to make it a user-friendly website. One of the notable options of the site is your ability to make some moves for calculation purposes. This will help to enhance your overall understanding and get ahead of the game in one-minute chess.
Access to chess variants is an interesting endeavor that even the most experienced players will enjoy. It puts a new twist on the game and gives you an exciting outcome.
Other options on chess.com include educational features like access to articles, the video library, lessons, and a tactics trainer which will help you sharpen your chess skills. If you’re looking for good entertainment then there are also many chess shows where you will learn surprising information.
ChessTV is also available here as a convenient option where you can view top players duke it out and discuss strategies. Simply being exposed to this is entertaining and educational. However, if you want a more direct approach then there are also interactive lessons that discuss specific openings, positions, and endgames that are critical in understanding if you’re going to increase your position on the leader boards.
There is always room for improvement and here you can thrive!
The Players
What types of players are there on Chess.com? The types of players in a community can make or break it.
At chess.com there are different types of players which include casual, tournament players, and grandmasters who all come to the same site to hone their skills and have fun.
The website boasts an impressive 600,000,000 players from around the world who all convene for the common goal of enjoying the game and thriving or competing against each other for glory.
This is a staggering number and it speaks to how many players are in the world, to begin with. It’s hard to calculate the exact number of players because it’s always growing, but it’s definitely one of the most popular games in the world.
You will find many famous grandmasters on this platform who are the apex predators of the chess world and they include some of the best chess players in the world.
…and many more.
Many players will come here simply to play a few games online and the ranking system will match you with someone who is close to your skill level. This makes it the perfect tool for practicing against people in different settings with random openings.
It used to be far more difficult to find people to play and gain this variety and now it’s easy to access from a computer or mobile app anywhere. Chess players are stronger than ever and even grandmasters can get a run for their money sometimes as indicated by what is witnessed on ChessTV.
All of the players share a common interest and that’s to improve while having a great time meeting new people and seeing what’s possible.
Entertainment
How much of an entertainment factor does Chess.com have? As serious of a game that is Chess, keeping Chess not-so-serious sometimes can be very beneficial to keep the learning process more enjoyable. Because as you know, Chess is the most mentally brutal game there is.
On chess.com you will have access to many entertainment options that will keep you busy for years to come. If you don’t want to continually play chess then there are other ways to enrich your knowledge and enjoy the game. Chess shows are where it’s at on this platform and they have been praised for some highly entertaining options to consider. Sometimes it’s more fun to watch other players sweat instead of feeling the pressure yourself. You can learn in a more relaxed environment and thanks to technology it can be accomplished from behind a screen. You will have access to the board and can think about what moves you would make in comparison to what grandmasters are playing. This can be very entertaining as you discover unorthodox lines that might have you questioning reality.
Watching more powerful players than yourself is a great way to learn and also incredibly entertaining, and chess shows are a great way to enjoy these games. ChessTV is also a fun entertainment option that will give you a new perspective on your favorite players. You can either be a viewer or start your own channel to build a following here. Find an audience and start sharing your ideas on chess.com and you will start to conjure a community where you can come together and share your passion for the sport. There is always something new to discover and one of the most entertaining aspects of chess is that you might play or watch a game that has never been played before in the history of the world.
Learning Resources
Chess.com has created an abundance of opportunities for beginners to improve
At chess.com there are many tools and resources for beginners to improve their game and grow from a very low level to an intermediate. However, you will find that this plateaus rather quickly, and highly advanced players might be limited in lucrative resources here. However, you can still get fruitful analysis with the diamond version that will help you determine various outcomes. One of the best ways for beginners to improve here is to utilize chess lessons and analysis that will up your game and give you an increased perspective on what went wrong. You will be able to see if your moves were bad and that will discourage them in the future. If you play chess blindly without this information then there’s an increased chance you’ll make the same mistakes again.
With Chess.com, you can know what went wrong and instantly see the better moves that would have served your position more effectively. You can solve many chess puzzles here along with access to a remarkable video library that will teach you the ropes if you’re a chess novice. You’ll quickly transcend to an intermediate level in no time with a concrete foundation of popular openings and chess strategies. Keep in mind that your chess journey has just begun, and you may need to expand your horizons elsewhere once you’ve exhausted all the resources here. However, even the greatest players could use a beginner’s review just to solidify certain concepts. You will definitely learn to play chess here and will have access to some advanced concepts that will improve your chess skills indefinitely!
Many good articles to read
There are great chess reads here that will keep you entertained and informed for years to come. You will gain access to new posts that will invigorate your chess knowledge and give you the opportunity to find new authors and experts who know what they’re talking about. If you’re having trouble with a particular opening then this is a valuable resource to consider where you’ll get a visual representation of how to deal with certain tactics. You might have a friend who keeps trapping you with certain tricks and might benefit from a more thorough explanation on how to counter their shenanigans.
You don’t need to have a chess.com account to have access to these and some of the best include articles from GM Daniel Naroditsky and GM Gregory Serper. You will discover some of the most interesting topics here ranging from opening to end game theory that will expand your understanding. They are also highly entertaining to read if you’re interested in expounding upon a certain chess topic. This could include whether or not a particular opening is viable. There are many debates in the chess world and theories about which moves are the best. Here you will have access to many great chess writers who know the game intimately and they will teach you the logical aspects of the game through comprehensive writing. This might be easier to understand and will give you visual demonstrations to explore. Reading about chess is one of the best ways to learn, and you will benefit greatly from it here!
Is Chess.com Worth It?
If you’re a beginner then chess.com is especially advantageous for you because it caters to lower skill levels and will help you improve quickly.
If you’re at a higher level then you will also benefit from the ranking system and online play along with extensive analysis that makes the process easier.
Overall, chess.com offers players many convenient tools to improve their game with the free version. It’s recommended that you reap the fruit of what’s on the table before upgrading because there are already many features to benefit from.
As the Internet’s most popular chess website, chess.com is worth the experience with nothing to lose and only knowledge to gain and you learn, explore, and compete.
Conclusion
The bottom line is, Chess.com is the best place online to learn and play Chess. They have hundreds of lessons teaching you every aspect of the game.
I hope this Chess.com review helped you with any questions or information you wanted to know about the site. I play on Chess.com every day and don’t plan on ever leaving.
Click below and claim your discounted price for the yearly option.
