Chess fans had one more reason to celebrate on February 2. The game we all love became the most popular free game on the iOS app store, reaching the number-one spot in 28 countries. It also featured among the top 10 in 18 other countries.

It finally happened. pic.twitter.com/RAVN01YZKT

— Daniel Rensch (@DanielRensch) February 2, 2023

Android chess players also helped elevate the game to the peak of the Google Play Store in 12 countries and keep it among the top 10 in 27 more.

Many popular chess players celebrated the occasion on Twitter. GM Magnus Carlsen displayed his business acumen by suggesting the launch of Chess 2.0, while GM Anish Giri provided insightful social commentary regarding the situation.

Let’s build on the momentum and release chess 2.0 https://t.co/xYE9uZwj4T

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) February 2, 2023

Good to see people still prefer “Games with friends” to “Swallow them all down”. https://t.co/ukysDnSnjK

— Anish Giri (@anishgiri) February 2, 2023

The climb of chess in app stores all over the world comes after months of growing interest in chess. Creator IM Levy Rozman has reported gaining close to 400,000 subscribers to his channel in January. On Chess.com, active users have nearly doubled since December, hitting more than 11.4 million on February 2 alone. 

Naturally, the new chess boom helped boost the game’s performance on the iOS and Android app stores, dramatically increasing download numbers and usage. With no paid advertisement pushing the Chess.com app to new audiences, this is only more proof of the deep impact the chess community can have in the gaming industry. 

“This is such an amazing moment for chess! I am so happy to see so many new people enjoying the game we all love,” said Danny Rensch, Chess.com’s CCO. “It’s been a wild ride, and with the help of such an incredible community of players, creators, and passionate chess professionals, we finally get to see chess in its rightful place—among the most popular games in the world!”

The Chess.com app is available on iOS and Android for free. Download now and join the millions of members playing chess on their phones.