Kasparov Chess

{{Infobox website

| name = Kasparov Chess

| logo =

| screenshot =

| caption =

| company_type = Internet chess server

| language = Multilingual

| foundation = {{start date and age|2021|4}}

| location_country = France

| founder = {{Unbulleted list|Vivendi}}

| CEO = Louis Germain

| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Garry Kasparov}}

| industry = Internet

| equity = 5.4M$

| num_employees =

| parent = Vivendi

| url = {{url|https://kasparovchess.com/}}

| registration = Required

| num_users =

| current_status = Active

| programming_language =

| type = Social networking service

}}

Kasparov Chess is a commercial internet chess server, internet forum and social networking website.[https://en.chessbase.com/post/vivendi-and-garry-kasparov-team-up Chessbase: Vivendi and Garry Kasparov team up] The former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is affiliated with this online chess club.[https://www.fide.com/news/1028 Fide News: Vivendi and Garry Kasparov team up to launch online platform]

Early history

The KasparovChess.com domain was first used to launch Garry Kasparov's chess website in early 2000.{{cite web | url=https://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/a0a1gkix.htm | title=2000 Braingames : World Chess Championship }} To commemorate its opening, Kasparov played a simul with around 30 junior players from around the world, many of them online on his own chess server in 2000.{{cite web | url=https://buffalonews.com/news/kasparov-to-take-on-30-at-once-some-via-web/article_205ba500-9ede-5ac6-8bf3-e42fc2d5ff2e.html | title=Kasparov to Take on 30 at Once, Some Via Web | date=14 March 2000 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/cfd545410b0394bdd961169b3dd22456/World-Chess-champion-Kasparov-brings-the-game-to-the-Internet/ | title=Photo: World Chess champion Kasparov brings the game to the Internet - }} Later, KasparovChess.com hosted a tournament of junior players.{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jun-30-mn-46579-story.html | title=Students Face Ultimate Chess Challenge | website=Los Angeles Times | date=30 June 2000 }} Sometime after, the site became inactive, until this domain was used again in 2021.

Financing

Kasparov Chess is financed by private investors and Vivendi, through its subsidiary Keysquare,[https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vivendi-and-chess-legend-garry-kasparov-team-up-to-launch-online-platform-kasparovchesscom-301270081.html Vivendi And Chess Legend Garry Kasparov Team Up To Launch Online Platform Kasparovchess.com] a media conglomerate headquartered in Paris, France.[https://ca.news.yahoo.com/garry-kasparov-launches-community-first-140001369.html Garry Kasparov launches a community-first chess platform] In October 2019, Keysquare was allocated a capital investment of €3.5 million Euros from Vivendi to start the project.[https://www.chesstech.org/2021/kasparovchess-20/ Chess Tech: Kasparovchess 2.0]

Kasparov Chess has a freemium business model with a free option for some chess content coupled with a premium option charge of $13.99 monthly or $119.99 for a yearly subscription for all the available chess content.[https://www.chess.com/news/view/garry-kasparov-kasparovchess Chess.com Kasparov Relaunches Online Platform]

Chess content

Kasparov Chess offers chess puzzles, online chess, tutorials, articles, documentaries, podcasts and a chess master class taught by Kasparov; however, some of these features are only available to members with a paid subscription.[https://kasparovchess.com/ Kasparov Chess] At the launch of the company in April 2021, there will be available 50,000 exercises, 700 lessons and 400 hours of videos.[https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/15/garry-kasparov-launches-a-community-first-chess-platform/ Tech Crunch: Garry Kasparov launches a community-first chess platform]

{{blockquote|"We are showing the world that there is so much more to chess than strategy and tactics...It is a way of life and a way of looking at the world. I hope to bring all people into this experience, even if they've never played before, because chess can help them become everything that they want to be."|Garry Kasparov.}}

Competition

In order to establish itself as a mainstream chess platform and a profit-making venture, Kasparov Chess will have to compete against many well-established Internet chess servers. These include entirely free online chess servers, such as Lichess and Free Internet Chess Server, and the several commercial chess communities including Chess.com, FIDE Online Arena, Internet Chess Club and Playchess offering similar freemium subscriptions for chess content as Kasparov Chess.

In 1999, Garry Kasparov and Israeli investors attempted to establish a commercial online chess club called Kasparov Chess Online that never reached a profitable status and became defunct in 2002.