Chess.com launched a poker site and plans classic games

After focusing on online chess for nearly twenty years, the prominent platform Chess.com is expanding beyond its core domain by introducing its first companion site in beta last May named Gambit. This free online poker website allows players to learn the game without wagering any real money, and the team is now scaling up with its first livestreamed event alongside creator collaborations.

Albert Cheng, Chief Growth Officer at Chess.com, told The Verge that the company selected poker for its initial companion site because it shares learning and social elements with chess, similar to playing a game. He firmly promised that real-money gambling will never exist on Gambit, explaining that the broader industry profits when beginners lose money, whereas they wanted to build a place dedicated to genuine learning.

The strategic expansion of Chess.com into alternative tabletop games highlights a method to leverage its massive user base by applying proven engagement tools, such as rating systems and puzzle-based learning, to other strategic disciplines.

Users familiar with Chess.com will instantly recognize Gambit’s interface, which borrows the exact design language and play modes including bot matches, games with friends, tournaments, a review mode, and interactive lessons. Gambit even features familiar bot characters with matching difficulty levels, such as the low-tier bot Martin.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Another crucial component of Gambit is its custom Elo-style rating system. Cheng explained during the interview that ratings act as the main driver for self-improvement: "You’re not gambling your own hard-earned money necessarily, so the stakes are lower from that standpoint, but you need something to counterbalance it that you care about, and that keeps the ecosystem in play, and keeps the poker that’s on Gambit reasonably high-quality." This rating backbone also supports the paid subscription model used to unlock advanced learning features.

"Real money is the problem we built Gambit to get away from, the whole industry makes money when beginners lose. We’d rather build a place where people can actually learn."

Albert Cheng

Artificial intelligence served as a vital catalyst enabling Chess.com to branch out after two decades. Cheng and one other developer brought Gambit from prototype to launch within a year largely through AI assistance centered on coding tasks, allowing them to apply consistent design patterns quickly to a brand-new platform. However, Cheng noted that AI still struggles with brand and feature design, requiring a balanced collaborative approach.

Encouraged by Gambit's progress, Chess.com is actively developing additional classic games including Go, backgammon, and mahjong. These titles will also incorporate custom Elo-style rating systems. Although launch dates remain unannounced, development is moving rapidly following the same operational playbook used for Gambit.

Source: The Verge