Before modern megahits like Riot Games' League of Legends and Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft and WarCraft series were tearing up the internet, some of the foundations of what we know as e-sports today were being forged in a potentially unlikely place. In the days of the late ARPAnet and early World Wide Web, chess fans formed some of the earliest online communities for meeting others, discussing, playing, and following major chess events. In the spirit of the recent Anand-Carlsen World Championship Match, let us look at chess and eSports, and examine a few special themes salient within our communities that we share.

1. Internet Community

As all gamers can attest, community has a large impact on the success or failure of a game. Games can crumble or thrive at the hands of its players, and chess is no different. In the days before computer games were interactive, chess was in the unique position that it was fully capable of being played through the early versions of the Internet. Its moves and positions could be written down and relayed through text, as people have played chess by mail for multiple centuries, and special notations have been developed to facilitate both the portability and replayability of a game.

This translated easily to the internet through e-mail. In the 1990’s, graphical games had become the standard, increasing user’s capabilities and expectations. Internet chess servers, combined with increased internet access, brought the chess community to your desktop. Servers like the Internet Chess Club and Free Internet Chess Server created an all-inclusive environment for players to play, network, and learn. These servers used early games like Netrek to create primitive instant message systems and friend lists in client, before programs like AOL or Yahoo Instant Messenger became popular in the later 1990’s. Games could also be saved, replayed, and analyzed with others, much like replay functions in modern games. Servers also organized tournaments, staged fan/casual events, and covered major live events - something we see Riot, Blizzard and Valve do today.

Many game communities can take a lesson from the chess community. As a gamer and a casual chess player (USCF 1650), my observation is that the amount of bad manners in chess is about 3-5% of that in online gaming (my personal experience only). Then again, we are more prone to say things to people that aren’t actually in front of us. Bad manners on internet chess servers is relatively rare. This is because the chess community is about the exchange and development of ideas and knowledge. In turn, this helps the game continually evolve its meta. Constructive criticism advances the original thought, generic or directionless criticism only spreads negativity which can hurt a community.

2. Event Coverage

In the 1990’s, Internet developers like Mark Cuban, founder of Broadcast.com, were attempting to develop methods to mass stream audio to a large internet audience. This technology found an incubator at the Internet Chess Club and other servers. Live events could be covered in real-time due to teletext reporting of the moves from the venue to the Internet. The server could then relay the moves to an examination board, then stream audio commentary along with the visual analysis. This was something quite fantastic at the time, as video streaming would not become more popular until the mid 2000’s. In modern times, commercial production, advertisements and high definition have polished what was a solid foundation and model into a professional quality broadcast.

Both chess and eSports face a common road of finding their home in emergent media. Chess failed on television because the time controls for chess do not exactly fit within the 7-9 minute parameters between commercials on national networks. This, however, could be used to both communities’ advantage. Perhaps it is not chess and eSports that don't fit into TV: perhaps it is TV that does not fit in with many forms of emergent media. Twitch.tv CEO stated on Bloomberg TV his website brings in 45 million viewers a month. The Twitch models provide advertising revenue, while allowing the streamers to organically provide their content without interruption for sponsors. Also with the rise of major cable providers bringing live streaming television to the internet, the future is becoming more conducive for chess and eSports every day.

3. Sponsorship

In 1993, then chess World Champion Garry Kasparov ceded with FIDE (World Chess Federation) to form the Professional Chess Association. His hope was to bring more publicity to chess and more money for players. This included big name sponsorships from companies such as Intel. The issue with chess at the time was that players in communist countries had always been supported by the state, while players in America and Europe often found chess less than lucrative. The PCA received coverage and air time from ESPN, but eventually folded after a dispute between Kasparov and Intel. A few years later, we start to see the serious rise of sponsorship for many athletes involved in global events. Extreme sports are another example of an emerging market rise to mainstream notoriety with the help of major sponsors. Korean gaming and player associations also take off at this time, creating a level for eSports many people see as a model for other countries, including a professionally recognized organization for players to help protect them and advocate on their behalf.

As we progress further into the 21st century, we will continue to see the evolution of both chess and eSports. League of Legends has already become more popular than Baseball among Americans. Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov tweeted at the Youth Mind Games event in Seoul that he believes games like StarCraft and League of Legends will not outlive chess, because players flock to the newest games with better graphics, controls and gameplay engines. This is a valid point. People will most likely be playing chess competitively in 2100. League? Maybe LoL version 10 or something like that. By then the Oculus Rift will have taken off and we probably won’t be gaming on PC’s anyway. It will be an interesting sight to see. Do you have experience with chess as well as eSports? Leave a comment below and join in on the discussion!