Thread by @NoelStuder

chess.com/news/view/ches…

Crazy news. Great move by @chesscom, but is it really good for chess players?

Some initially thoughts of what this might mean:

@chesscom 1) Better this way than the other way around.

My personal experience with chess.com staff is much better than with chess24/PMG staff/executives.

The risk of them going broke seems also much lower. Chess.com will lead the chess world now.

2) This creates a near monopoly in the paid chess market. The next competitor (except for the free lichess) will probably be 100-1000 times smaller than chess.com.

I fear:
- less innovation
- less variety of commentary
- no alternative partners for content creators

Prizes might rise as well.

3) On the positive side, both Hikaru and Magnus will be able to play all important online events.

No more overlapping or competition. Will be an exciting future of online competition.

4) The combination of different companies will give improvers the possibility to get everything they need from one company.

But as stated before, the nest monopoly doesn't force them to innovate and improve products.

I hope they still will, but this remains to be seen.

5) Conclusion:
It is a great move by chess.com. PMG is forced to accept for financial reasons.

For the consumers there are more risks than benefits.

Hopefully a smaller chess company will rise up and challenge this giant to force innovation & better prizes.