India emerges biggest growth area for World Chess

Indian users account for 33 per cent of all paid subscribers on World Chess with 25 per cent of all free-to-play users

Hyderabad: India emerges as the biggest growth area for World Chess, where the sport originated, as the Indian users account for 33 per cent of all paid subscribers on World Chess with 25 per cent of all free-to-play users, according to a communication from the FIDE, the governing body of world chess.

The next highest is the US with 17 per cent.

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“It comes as India is experiencing an unprecedented chess boom. The nation has seen a golden generation of world-class talents emerge and boasts the reigning classical world champion in Dommaraju Gukesh. Next month, India will welcome the world elite for the 2025 FIDE World Cup starting on October 31,” according to FIDE.
World Chess has touched the magical one million mark in its user base as online gamers increasingly choose to play on its alternative platform.

This is a demonstration for the first time that the official partner of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) can be considered a major player.
World Chess, which operates the worldchess.com playzone, is the only platform where chess enthusiasts can play official FIDE-recognised games online and gain official online titles.

Until recently, it has been considered a niche choice for aficionados and known mostly for its elegant design.
But in 2025, World Chess underwent a series of changes, including the transition from chessarena.com to worldchess.com and a major revamp of its playzone. More updates are also planned.

Growth from India and other countries worldwide follows a series of improvements to gameplay on worldchess.com, including gamification and unlimited post-game analysis for subscribers.
World Chess will also launch a redesigned mobile app on November 1, 2025. The new app will feature a modernised design, faster gameplay, and an expanded feature set aimed at boosting engagement and monetisation.

With the majority of online chess now played on mobile devices, this relaunch represents a cornerstone of the company’s growth strategy.
Ilya Merenzon, Chief Executive Officer of World Chess, said: “A million people have now signed up to play on World Chess — that’s a huge milestone and a clear sign of how far we’ve come.

“The upcoming launch of our redesigned mobile app will allow us to serve this audience in a much richer way, and bringing in a proven design leader from Chess.com gives us the expertise to execute at scale,” he said in a statement.