two & a half gamers How Chess.com became a $500M Business?
No UA. No App Store tricks. Chess.com - just 650 remote workers, a Netflix show, a cat bot named Mittens, and a $500M/year business.
We dive deep into one of the most fascinating growth stories in mobile: chess.com.
From Queen’s Gambit virality to Magnus Carlsen’s meme-worthy genius, we explore how chess.com built a mobile app empire on subscriptions, community, and strategic chaos — all without running a single ad campaign.
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
Why Queen’s Gambit + COVID lockdown sparked the app’s hockey-stick growth
How Magnus Carlsen, memes, and controversy drove global attention
The insane monetization potential chess.com isn’t using (but could)
Deep dive into subscriptions vs. ad revenue – and why purity might be expensive
Why their retention, session length, and user time rival top-tier mobile games
How they turn in-app education into a sticky, premium experience
The role of community-driven UA powered by YouTubers, Twitch, and chess drama
👑 Whether you're a game dev, monetization lead, or just a fan of big plays in niche markets — this episode is your move.
🧠 Chess.com isn’t just a game. It’s a content engine, a learning platform, and a masterclass in scaling without spending.
🎧 Listen to how they turned 🐾Mittens the cat bot into a quarter-million downloads/day spike — and why we think they’re leaving $50M+ a year on the table.
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This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.
Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric
Podcast:
Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Chess and the Hosts
04:25 Chess.com: Growth and Revenue Insights
07:22 The Impact of External Factors on Chess Popularity
10:28 Chess.com Features and Community Engagement
13:22 Company Background and Strategic Moves
19:24 Monetization Strategies and Future Prospects
20:32 Monetization Strategies in Chess Apps
23:33 User Engagement and Learning Features
26:05 Ad Revenue vs Subscription Revenue
30:35 Potential for Increased Revenue
36:38 The Balance of User Experience and Revenue
39:43 Chess.com: The Dominant Platform
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Matej Lancaric
User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant
https://lancaric.me
Felix Braberg
Ad monetization consultant
https://www.felixbraberg.com
Jakub Remiar
Game design consultant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar
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Please share feedback and comments - matej@lancaric.me
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