r/chessbeginners

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About r/chessbeginners

A place for new chess players to hang out, ask questions, discover tactics, get advice from others and learn more about the game: This is the r/chessbeginners subreddit.

The community at a glance

r/chessbeginners is a Subreddit for Professional Sports Fans and Chess Fans with roughly 416K members. It uses a forum format for communication. It is the 4th largest community in the Chess topic page.

Roughly 71K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Chess, Looking For A, and Opening. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Solution Requests. Product recommendations often mention chess books, chess openings, and chess set.

On Reddit
416K Members

Community Topics

Community Features

Forum

This community has a forum

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +71K members
Growth: +20.4% / year

Member growth over time

All time (yearly)

  • 2015: 464 members
  • 2016: 311 members
  • 2017: 786 members
  • 2018: 2K members
  • 2019: 4K members
  • 2020: 35K members
  • 2021: 53K members
  • 2022: 34K members
  • 2023: 126K members
  • 2024: 50K members
  • 2025: 56K members
  • 2026: 53K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Oct: 4K members
  • Nov: 6K members
  • Dec: 5K members
  • Jan: 7K members
  • Feb: 5K members
  • Mar: 5K members
  • Apr: 6K members
  • May: 6K members
  • Jun: 7K members
  • Jul: 6K members
  • Aug: 8K members
  • Sep: 1K members

Themes

  • Advice Requests
    12 posts in the past month
    1. Is it necessary to understand chess notation, and how long does it take to become fluent at it?
    2. What practical reasons are there for the rules NOT to be "If you capture the kingdom, you win"?
    3. How do I stop this from happening?
    #1
    Advice Requests
    Is it necessary to understand chess notation, and how long does it take to become fluent at it? · What practical reasons are there for the rules NOT to be "If you capture the kingdom, you win"? · How do I stop this from happening?
    12
  • Solution Requests
    5 posts in the past month
    1. I'm having trouble getting checkmates and not stalemates. I got tripped up right here. Amy suggestions?
    2. I'm looking for an online tutor
    3. So dang sick of capturing their queen or best strategic rook but then not being able to checkmate in time and losing to the clock! Tried looking for videos but none were good; exasperated any help?!
    #2
    Solution Requests
    I'm having trouble getting checkmates and not stalemates. I got tripped up right here. Amy suggestions? · I'm looking for an online tutor · So dang sick of capturing their queen or best strategic rook but then not being able to checkmate in time and losing to the clock! Tried looking for videos but none were good; exasperated any help?!
    5
  • Self-Promotion
    1 post in the past month
    1. Fully Open Source Minecraft Chess (By A Student)
    #3
    Self-Promotion
    Fully Open Source Minecraft Chess (By A Student)
    1

Topics

  • Chess
    44 posts in the past month
    #1
    Chess
    44
  • Looking For A
    25 posts in the past month
    #2
    Looking For A
    25
  • Opening
    10 posts in the past month
    #3
    Opening
    10
  • Practice
    9 posts in the past month
    #4
    Practice
    9
  • Rating
    7 posts in the past month
    1. Climb from 186 elo
    #5
    Rating
    Climb from 186 elo
    7

Flair

  • QUESTION
    39 posts in the past month
    1. Is the claim that a normal person has a better chance of beating a pro MMA fighter than beating Magnus Carlsen in chess actually true?
    2. Why chesscom draws this position when it's winning?
    3. Could someone explain to me how "Rook takes d6 ends the game" here?
    #1
    QUESTION
    Is the claim that a normal person has a better chance of beating a pro MMA fighter than beating Magnus Carlsen in chess actually true? · Why chesscom draws this position when it's winning? · Could someone explain to me how "Rook takes d6 ends the game" here?
    39
  • POST-GAME
    37 posts in the past month
    1. I thought I'd lost, then I found the move
    2. i had a real hard time NOT playing ann passant here (400 elo)
    3. I'm White
    #2
    POST-GAME
    I thought I'd lost, then I found the move · i had a real hard time NOT playing ann passant here (400 elo) · I'm White
    37
  • MISCELLANEOUS
    22 posts in the past month
    1. Oh my gosh, im about to do a smothered mate!!!!
    2. Just joined the 1800 club
    3. I have the chess IQ and real life IQ of a headless chicken
    #3
    MISCELLANEOUS
    Oh my gosh, im about to do a smothered mate!!!! · Just joined the 1800 club · I have the chess IQ and real life IQ of a headless chicken
    22
  • PUZZLE
    14 posts in the past month
    1. Can you find the mate in two? I didn't
    2. Game-losing blunder for black
    3. White to play and win
    #4
    PUZZLE
    Can you find the mate in two? I didn't · Game-losing blunder for black · White to play and win
    14
  • ADVICE
    8 posts in the past month
    1. I'm looking for an online tutor
    2. Help building a study routine?
    3. Woodpecker method as a 450 player?
    #5
    ADVICE
    I'm looking for an online tutor · Help building a study routine? · Woodpecker method as a 450 player?
    8

Product recommendations

  • chess books
    10 posts in the past month
    1. Best Textbook / Workbook Recommendations?
    2. Best chess books? Beginner to pro
    3. Guys can you recommend a book where I can learn opening like Sicilian,caro kann,kings indian,and ruy Lopez btw I comfortable with basics
    #1
    chess books
    Best Textbook / Workbook Recommendations? · Best chess books? Beginner to pro · Guys can you recommend a book where I can learn opening like Sicilian,caro kann,kings indian,and ruy Lopez btw I comfortable with basics
    10
  • chess openings
    10 posts in the past month
    1. Whats the best opening for begineers?
    2. Best openings as white for a 1000 elo player
    3. Any recommended openings for white?
    #2
    chess openings
    Whats the best opening for begineers? · Best openings as white for a 1000 elo player · Any recommended openings for white?
    10
  • chess set
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Plz recommend a chess set from Amazon for a travelling beginner.
    2. Can anyone recommend me a reasonably priced chess board with clear pieces?
    #3
    chess set
    Plz recommend a chess set from Amazon for a travelling beginner. · Can anyone recommend me a reasonably priced chess board with clear pieces?
    2
  • chess apps
    2 posts in the past month
    1. I'm surprised there's not a stickied post or thread about recommended chess apps! Which ones do you recommend for beginners?
    2. My 7 year old daughter is learning chess at school and is very excited: Recs please for good School iPad app to reinforce at home?
    #4
    chess apps
    I'm surprised there's not a stickied post or thread about recommended chess apps! Which ones do you recommend for beginners? · My 7 year old daughter is learning chess at school and is very excited: Recs please for good School iPad app to reinforce at home?
    2
View full analysis on GummySearchSynced 9/1/2026

Frequently asked questions

Who is r/chessbeginners for?
Best for Professional Sports Fans and Chess Fans enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion.
Is r/chessbeginners free to join?
This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
How many members does r/chessbeginners have?
Roughly 416K members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
What platform is r/chessbeginners on?
r/chessbeginners runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
What topics does r/chessbeginners cover?
On the Hive Index, r/chessbeginners is organized under Professional Sports Fans, Chess Fans.
How do I join r/chessbeginners?
You can join r/chessbeginners by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
What are the Professional Sports communities like?
The largest sports category on the site, covering betting, fan discussion, and athlete coverage across major leagues. Discord dominates with sports betting communities and pick sharing servers alongside official fan communities, while Reddit hosts team-specific subreddits for virtually every professional franchise.
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Added 8/5/2023

Monthly Stats

6
Views /mo
(-14%)
6
Visitors /mo
(0%)
0
Referrals /mo

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