Head of the “Chess Mafia” Opens Up About Magnus vs Hans, Cheating & The Future of Chess

In this unfiltered conversation, Chess.com’s Chief Chess Officer Danny Rensch dives deep into some of the most explosive topics in modern chess. From the Magnus vs Hans scandal and the public banning of 53 titled players, to Freestyle chess, the Kramnik vs Naroditsky saga, the “chess mafia” accusations, and the future of chess as an esport - nothing is off-limits.

🖤 Pre-order Danny’s upcoming book “Dark Squares” now ➡️ https://www.chess.com/darksquares

Huge thanks to my lovely cohost ‪@emilyplayschess‬ 🖤

👇 Timestamps

0:00 – Intro
1:15 – What is a Chief Chess Officer?
4:01 – The Origins of Chess.com
13:08 – Fears of failure
14:55 – "Dark Squares"
16:18 – The next chess boom
19:54 – Has chess already peaked?
24:08 – Is esports the future of chess?
28:56 – Pressure to meet expectations
33:27 – Magnus’ motivations
36:31 – Gukesh’s rise
37:19 – Acquisition of Play Magnus
45:06 – Hans Niemann Success
54:27 – The Truth About the "Chess Mafia”
58:23 – Dealing with public hate
1:01:11 – Online cheating in chess
1:05:46 – Thoughts on Kramnik vs Daniel Naroditsky
1:13:53 – What is Proctor?
1:16:17 – More on Danya
1:28:56 – Is Chess.com a monopoly?
1:33:26 – Danny’s new book
1:35:37 – Final thoughts
1:37:07 – The chess capital of the U.S.

Thank you for watching!!

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