Historic Chess Record at Web Summit 2024: Over 106,000 Players Join “Hans Niemann vs. You” Challenge, Setting New Participation Milestone

Lisbon, Portugal – November 14, 2024 — In an unprecedented mass chess match, over 106,000 chess enthusiasts and curious spectators from around the world united at the Web Summit to challenge Grandmaster Hans Niemann in “Hans Niemann vs. You.” The event, organized by it.com Domains and World Chess and live-streamed from the heart of Lisbon’s MEO Arena, set a new record for chess participation.

A New Kind of Chess Match

The match played out as a real-time experiment in collective intelligence, pitting a world-class player against the strategies of a crowd. Participants formed the “World Team” and voted on each move, choosing between three moves, suggested by the AI. The World Team had only 30 seconds to vote on each move, while Niemann had 5 minutes on his clock.

“It was chaotic but brilliant,” said Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess. “Chess has always been dramatic but it rarely is the tension between individual thought and the wisdom of crowds. Here, we brought that to a whole new level.”

Record-Breaking Engagement and Participation

The numbers tell their own story: more than 106,000 participants from over 100 countries logged in to take on Niemann, voting in real-time through a system built by it.com Domains with support of World Chess. Over the course of the game, millions of votes were cast, with Grandmaster-level moves selected almost half the time. At its peak, the event drew tens of thousands of concurrent viewers, and was featured on the Twitch front page. The event echoed earlier historic moments like the Kasparov vs. the World match but, in scale and interactivity, outdid them all.

“Chess needs new, bold experiences, especially in an era when people are used to having information at their fingertips,” said Andrey Insarov, CEO of it.com Domains. “We wanted to take chess beyond the traditional board and into an interactive experience that anyone can be part of.”

A Modern Twist on a Classic Game

Hans Niemann, often portrayed as one of the sport’s more provocative figures, found himself facing an unpredictable and often challenging opponent in the World Team. “I wasn’t just playing against one player—I was up against thousands of minds at once, each with a different perspective,” Niemann said after the game. “It was thrilling but disorienting. Each move felt like a mystery because it was coming from a crowd rather than an individual.”

The match marks a significant step in World Chess’s mission to bring chess into the digital age without losing its traditional appeal. By leveraging platforms like Web Summit, World Chess and it.com Domains hope to spark interest in the game among tech enthusiasts.

The Road Ahead: Technology Meets Tradition

As AI and digital innovation continue to reshape how people play and interact with chess, World Chess sees events like “Hans Niemann vs. You” as a blueprint for the future. With plans to expand AI-driven training, create more interactive matches, and engage global audiences, the organization is committed to ensuring chess remains a relevant and evolving discipline.

For those who missed the event, the full match replay, along with insights into the voting and strategy data, is available on chess.it.com.