{"id":6242,"date":"2026-08-30T13:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T13:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=6242"},"modified":"2026-08-30T13:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T13:12:23","slug":"chess-poker-expansion-gambit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=6242","title":{"rendered":"Chess.com launched a poker site and is planning even more classic games"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Chess.com has done one thing, and one thing very well, for almost 20 years, but now it\u2019s going beyond its domain name. The biggest name in online chess quietly launched its first companion site in beta back in May: Gambit<\/a>, a free online poker website where players can learn the game without risking any real money. Now Gambit\u2019s ready to really get the ball rolling with its first livestreamed event and collaborations with content creators, and Chess.com is planning to branch out into even more games from here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Chess.com\u2019s chief growth officer, Albert Cheng, told The Verge<\/em> the company chose poker for its first companion site because, like chess, it has learning and social elements on top of just playing the game. He also promised there will never be real-money gambling on Gambit, saying, \u201cReal money is the problem we built Gambit to get away from, the whole industry makes money when beginners lose. We\u2019d rather build a place where people can actually learn.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Gambit will look familiar to anyone who\u2019s used Chess.com. It borrows the same design style and includes similar play modes, like bot matches, games with friends, tournaments, a review mode for studying your past games, and a learning mode. Gambit even includes Chess.com\u2019s bot characters, with matching skill levels \u2014 I immediately recognized \u201cMartin,\u201d the lowest skill level bot from Chess.com, who is also the lowest skill level bot on Gambit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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