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 413K members. It uses a forum format for communication. It is the 4th largest community in the Chess topic page.

Roughly 69K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Chess, Looking For A, and Elo. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Pain & Anger. Product recommendations often mention chess books, chess openings, and chess set.

On Reddit
413K Members

Community Topics

Community Features

Forum

This community has a forum

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +69K members
Growth: +19.9% / 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: 50K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Sep: 3K members
  • 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: 6K members

Themes

  • Advice Requests
    7 posts in the past month
    1. My story behind hitting 2000 and advice for mental health in chess, AMA
    2. Has anybody played a pawn only chess game before? Any ideas/resources?
    3. Need opening advice
    #1
    Advice Requests
    My story behind hitting 2000 and advice for mental health in chess, AMA · Has anybody played a pawn only chess game before? Any ideas/resources? · Need opening advice
    7
  • Pain & Anger
    3 posts in the past month
    1. After three years of playing I finally reached 1000 ELO in rapid, I feel so proud of myself
    2. Pretty frustrated
    3. It's really hard not to be so frustrated and discouraged from playing sometimes.
    #2
    Pain & Anger
    After three years of playing I finally reached 1000 ELO in rapid, I feel so proud of myself · Pretty frustrated · It's really hard not to be so frustrated and discouraged from playing sometimes.
    3

Topics

  • Chess
    45 posts in the past month
    #1
    Chess
    45
  • Looking For A
    27 posts in the past month
    #2
    Looking For A
    27
  • Elo
    17 posts in the past month
    1. F4 never even occured to me, made me realise why I'm probably stuck in this ELO
    2. Finally reached 500 elo !
    3. I think I played pretty well for 500 elo
    #3
    Elo
    F4 never even occured to me, made me realise why I'm probably stuck in this ELO · Finally reached 500 elo ! · I think I played pretty well for 500 elo
    17
  • Mate
    13 posts in the past month
    1. First smothered mate!
    2. Got my first legal’s mate!
    3. Smothered mate in the middle of the board
    #4
    Mate
    First smothered mate! · Got my first legal’s mate! · Smothered mate in the middle of the board
    13
  • Opening
    12 posts in the past month
    #5
    Opening
    12

Flair

  • POST-GAME
    38 posts in the past month
    1. This is the most stuck I've ever been.
    2. Finally my first smothered mate
    3. I thought it was a brilliant until I reviewed and realized...Can you guess the move?
    #1
    POST-GAME
    This is the most stuck I've ever been. · Finally my first smothered mate · I thought it was a brilliant until I reviewed and realized...Can you guess the move?
    38
  • QUESTION
    30 posts in the past month
    1. Can we agree that them abandoning here is pure evil?
    2. My first brilliant move: Rxh5… Can someone explain why it’s brilliant?
    3. Is there a win for white? Stockfish thinks its +5, is it miscalculating?
    #2
    QUESTION
    Can we agree that them abandoning here is pure evil? · My first brilliant move: Rxh5… Can someone explain why it’s brilliant? · Is there a win for white? Stockfish thinks its +5, is it miscalculating?
    30
  • MISCELLANEOUS
    17 posts in the past month
    1. First smothered mate!
    2. My chess rating didn’t increase for 5 years, but it’s suddenly been going up over the last 4 months
    3. Dude, I hate myself
    #3
    MISCELLANEOUS
    First smothered mate! · My chess rating didn’t increase for 5 years, but it’s suddenly been going up over the last 4 months · Dude, I hate myself
    17
  • PUZZLE
    17 posts in the past month
    1. Opponent sadly missed the M3
    2. Lovely Sacrifice
    3. My best queen sac to this day
    #4
    PUZZLE
    Opponent sadly missed the M3 · Lovely Sacrifice · My best queen sac to this day
    17
  • ADVICE
    10 posts in the past month
    1. Simple beginner guide
    2. My story behind hitting 2000 and advice for mental health in chess, AMA
    3. How i got better at chess
    #5
    ADVICE
    Simple beginner guide · My story behind hitting 2000 and advice for mental health in chess, AMA · How i got better at chess
    10

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 8/16/2026

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 413K 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

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