The short version
- Chess.com has launched Gambit, its first companion website dedicated to online poker, marking a significant departure from its exclusive focus on chess for nearly two decades.
- The platform operates entirely without real-money gambling, relying instead on a subscription model and an Elo-style rating system to drive user engagement and skill improvement.
- Company leadership cites artificial intelligence as a critical enabler for this rapid expansion, allowing a small team to replicate their successful design patterns across new game genres.
After nearly twenty years of dominating the online chess landscape, Chess.com has officially moved beyond its namesake game. The company launched Gambit, a dedicated poker platform, transitioning from a quiet beta phase in May to a full public rollout. This move represents the first time the digital board game giant has established a separate companion site, signaling a strategic pivot toward a broader portfolio of classic games rather than remaining siloed within chess.
Gambit distinguishes itself sharply from traditional online poker rooms by excluding real-money gambling entirely. Albert Cheng, Chess.com’s chief growth officer, emphasized that the platform was designed specifically to avoid the predatory dynamics common in the gambling industry, where revenue often depends on beginners losing funds. Instead, the site offers a free environment where users can learn the mechanics of poker and compete socially without financial risk. This approach aligns with the company’s long-standing philosophy of prioritizing education and community over transactional betting.
To maintain competitive integrity and user motivation in the absence of monetary stakes, Gambit utilizes a proprietary rating system similar to the Elo ratings used in chess. Cheng noted that this metric serves as the primary driver for player improvement, providing a tangible measure of progress that keeps the ecosystem active and the quality of play high. This rating infrastructure also supports the platform’s business model, which mirrors Chess.com’s existing structure: while basic access is free, users can subscribe to unlock premium learning tools, unlimited game reviews, and advanced puzzles.
The user experience on Gambit is intentionally familiar to long-time Chess.com users. The site borrows heavily from the parent company’s design language, featuring identical play modes such as bot matches, friend games, tournaments, and study tools. Even the artificial intelligence opponents are consistent; users will encounter the same bot characters, including Martin, the lowest-skill-level opponent, ensuring a seamless transition for players exploring poker for the first time. This continuity helps lower the barrier to entry for newcomers who might otherwise find poker intimidating.
Behind the scenes, the rapid development of Gambit highlights a significant shift in how Chess.com builds new products. Cheng revealed that artificial intelligence played a crucial role in accelerating the project, allowing a small team consisting of himself and one other employee to take the platform from prototype to launch within a year. AI tools were primarily used for coding tasks, enabling the team to read existing codebases and apply consistent design patterns to a new platform quickly. This technological leverage reduced the need for a larger engineering staff and minimized disruption to ongoing chess operations.
Despite the heavy reliance on AI for development efficiency, Cheng clarified that human oversight remains essential for brand identity and feature design. He described AI as a blend of capabilities rather than a replacement for creative direction, noting that while code generation is faster, it requires careful management to ensure quality. Interestingly, the live version of Gambit contains virtually no AI-created assets, which were only used during early prototyping stages. This distinction underscores a cautious approach to integrating generative tools into final user-facing products.
Looking ahead, Chess.com plans to replicate this expansion strategy with other classic games. Cheng indicated that development is moving rapidly on platforms for go, backgammon, and mahjong, all of which will feature similar Elo-style rating systems. The company is focusing on games that possess both historical durability and strong community engagement, traits that have defined chess’s success. By leveraging the playbook established with Gambit, Chess.com aims to become a comprehensive hub for traditional strategy games rather than just a single-game specialist.
The launch of Gambit also marks a renewed focus on the social aspects of gaming. With the technical foundation in place, Cheng stated that the company is leaning into community building and content creator collaborations, including livestreamed events. This shift suggests that Chess.com views its future growth not just through individual skill acquisition but through fostering interactive, shared experiences across multiple game genres. As the platform matures, it will be interesting to see how these social elements evolve alongside the educational mission.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Verge↗Chess.com launched a poker site, and it’s planning even more classic games
