From October 2020 to April 2022, Chess.com’s number of monthly active users doubled from 8 million to almost 17 million. But, what caused this sudden increase in users?
“When COVID-19 Rendered over-the-board tournaments all but impossible, Her Move Next (HMN) sought out new ways to create chess-playing opportunities for girls.”
Her Live was created to “encourage [Her Move Next] members to watch us, play games with us, and even have their games reviewed from previous Her Move Next tournaments.”
“… International Women’s Day (IWD) is commemorated in countless ways. At Her Move Next (HMN), we celebrate with chess.”
HerMoveNext is thrilled to announce our debut on ChessKid.com, the premier online chess destination for kids. ChessKid.com is the extension of the world's #1 chess website, Chess.com and boasts a membership of one million kids, who have played over 25 million online games (and solved over 45 million online puzzles).
On August 12, 2019, players, parents, and spectators gathered on the 14th floor of the UBS office in Manhattan to watch four-time Women’s World Chess Champion, Grandmaster Yifan Hou play a sixteen board simul followed by a question and answer session. The evening event was celebrated as “Chess & Conversation with Yifan Hou,” sponsored by WorldQuant, hosted by UBS, and in affiliation with HerMoveNext.
After opening statements and introductions, GM Hou began the simul. Each player, including GM Hou, had 35 minutes - another challenge imposed to make the game even more difficult for her. Playing 16 people at once is hard enough - the task can be compared to LeBron James playing against sixteen players all at once - without the addition of clocks. With only 35 minutes on each board, GM Hou faced immense time pressure.
Sarina Motwani of the Spence School, who is also a Mentor Chess Coach and Tournament Director in the Her Move Next program, has published an article with US Chess’ Chess Life Online. Sarina brilliantly captures the essence of the Her Move Next mission.
Girls from all ages, all experience levels, and many schools across the city came together because of their common passion; chess. As each girl walked into the auditorium where the tournament was held, she realized that she was part of a larger community.
“… And now, on the Eve of National Chess Day weekend (October 13-14), we celebrate another film premiere, Her Move Next, a short documentary (run time ~18 minutes) chronicling New York’s PS 33 Chelsea Prep elementary school’s 2016-2017 girls’ chess team.”
We are proud to announce that Her Move Next has won The People’s Choice Award at the Feminista Film Festival in London England!
