Exciting Updates from Chess.com: December 2024 Events, Product & Engineering, Community, Content, Chessable, ChessKid, Fair Play, and Support
2024 was a fantastic year for chess at Chess.com, but 2025 is shaping up to be even better. Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest events that took place in December before we dive into what’s in store for the upcoming months.
In December, GM Gukesh Dommaraju made history by becoming the 18th classical world champion and the youngest ever, with a thrilling victory over GM Ding Liren in the 2024 FIDE World Championship. Meanwhile, GM Magnus Carlsen continued his dominance by winning the Champions Chess Tour Finals and claiming the $200,000 first-place prize.
The World Blitz Championship saw Carlsen and GM Ian Nepomniachtchi sharing the title, while Volodar Murzin emerged as the surprise winner of the World Rapid Championship. In the women’s sections, GMs Ju Wenjun and Humpy Koneru took home the titles.
GM Hikaru Nakamura secured victory in the Titled Cup, earning a $10,000 bonus by outscoring Carlsen. Additionally, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Denis Lazavik, and Gata Kamsky won the women’s, junior, and senior sections, respectively. WCM Veronika Shubenkova emerged victorious in the girls’ section.
Looking ahead to 2025, the Titled Cup will be replaced by the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix starting on January 7. Chess will also make its debut at the Esports World Cup in the summer of 2025, with a massive $1.5 million prize pool up for grabs.
Chess enthusiasts can also register for the Spring 2025 Collegiate Chess League until January 9, with the season kicking off on January 18. Indian students can also sign up for the India College Chess Championship until January 12.
In terms of product and engineering, Chess.com introduced new features to challenge its computer personalities, offering players a chance to test their skills against some of the most talkative bots on the platform.
The community at Chess.com remains vibrant, with partnerships, tournaments, and more bots being added regularly. The content team has been busy covering the World Championship and CCT Finals, as well as launching the Improvement Challenge program for 2025.
Chessable released several exciting courses in December, while ChessKid celebrated a milestone on social media and featured an interview with the new world champion, Gukesh.
The Fair Play team at Chess.com continues to work diligently to ensure a fair and safe playing environment for all users, with nearly 40 million rating points refunded in December alone.
The support team has integrated AI into their workflow, reducing the first-response time to just under two days while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.
As we look forward to the exciting events and developments in 2025, Chess.com remains committed to providing the best possible experience for its users. Join the world’s largest chess community and share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.