Why are So Many Chess Players Turning to Poker?

Many gaming experts put chess and poker into the same “skill game” category. Though poker is typically played in card rooms and casinos, while chess is often played in clubs dedicated to the game, the skill sets required to play at high levels in both games tend to be similar.

CHESS SKILLS HELPFUL IN POKER

The primary strategic thinking of a chess player is helpful in transitioning to poker, but there are other skills that more specifically overlap.

1. PATIENCE

Chess and poker, in their most basic forms, are somewhat slow games. There is a lot of quiet time as players think about their opponents’ moves and contemplate their own next moves. Poker players must often wait for the right cards and position to play their hands, and while chess players don’t have that luxury, they do have to wait for their opponents to act.

Learning how to be patient, control one’s thoughts while waiting, and use waiting time to pick up on opponents’ tells and thought processes are necessary skills for both chess and poker.

2. ODDS AND OUTS

In poker, players learn about outs (how many outs are available in the deck) and pot odds (how often a call will pay off) in the beginning stages of their poker journeys. As they continue to improve their skills, players also learn about implied odds and game theory optimal (GTO) calculations.

Chess players learn calculations for different purposes, such as planning future moves and analyzing play variations and their possible outcomes. The ability to perform these calculations internally and incorporate the results into decisions is a quality that works well in both games.

3. CALM

Considering the patience necessary to play chess and poker, it is even more important for players of both games to keep their emotions under control. Opponents’ annoying moves or one’s own mistakes can lead to frustration and put a player on tilt. This can blur future decisions and create a negative downswing.

Players in both games must learn to control their reactions to maintain the best chance of allowing skill to dominate their actions.

4. MEMORY

In chess, memory is of the utmost importance. Players must memorize entire strategies full of moves, as well as opponents’ moves and patterns. Categorizing and storing this information in the brain is essential in chess.

Poker players must remember their own game theory and strategies, but they should also make mental notes of other players’ styles, previous moves in a current tournament, and their patterns. All of this leads to better decisions when considering all available information.

5. RISK

More often in poker than in chess, there is money riding on decisions, whether in every hand of a cash game or in the collection of moves in a tournament. While the goal is to make as many educated decisions as possible, players must be willing to take risks. They must not see the chips on the table as dollar amounts but as a means to an end, which is winning.

Chess players also understand risk. While every move doesn’t necessarily carry financial equity, occasionally making a risky move is sometimes required to achieve the ultimate goal and win the match.

EARLY EXAMPLES OF CHESS-POKER CROSSOVERS

There are quite a few players who played chess for many years before ever sitting at a poker table. Some have talked more about their crossover between chess and poker than others.

1. DAN HARRINGTON

With poker tournament results dating back to the 1980s, Dan Harrington has been a staple in the poker world for more than three decades. Even those who never played against Harrington knew of his results, if not through word of mouth, then through his timeless Harrington on Hold’em strategy book series.

What many in poker may not know is that Harrington spent his youth in Southern California playing backgammon and chess, even winning the Massachusetts State Chess Championship in 1971.

2. YLON SCHWARTZ

Poker fans from the poker boom era and beyond know Ylon Schwartz as a quiet, mostly serious player, with online poker results and a famous final table appearance. Not long after he began playing poker tournaments in the early boom years, he started running deep in World Series of Poker events each summer, none more famous than the WSOP Main Event final table in 2008. At the height of the game’s popularity, Schwartz finished fourth in the World Championship for nearly $3.8M, as Peter Eastgate went on to win. He went on to claim his WSOP bracelet in 2012 in a HORSE event and continues to post solid results.

Prior to his entry into poker, Schwartz was a street chess player in New York City, competing at park tables and betting relatively small amounts of money per game. He reached a peak rating with the US Chess Federation and achieved a FIDE Master ranking.

3. JEFF SARWER

One of the first well-known chess players to enter the poker realm and find success was Jeff Sarwer. He found success in chess as a young boy, showing his talent for the game at just eight years old and winning the World Youth Chess Championship before he was ten.

His need for a new challenge led him to poker during the poker boom in the mid-2000s, and he began making a splash in European poker tournaments. His first poker tournament victory in a live setting was at EPT San Remo in 2010, where he won a side event. With nearly $1M in live poker tournament earnings to date, the Canadian native continues to play in series like the World Series of Poker and the European Poker Tour.

SHAHADE SHIFTS NARRATIVE

The similarities between poker and chess didn’t enter the poker media spotlight until PokerStars signed Jennifer Shahade in 2014 as its ambassador for mind sports. The company created the role specifically for her to highlight the appeal of poker to chess players.

Shahade, born into a gaming family, with her father a FIDE Master and her brother an international title holder, began playing chess at a very young age, competing against her family members. She became the first girl to win the US Junior Open chess title in 1998. A few years later, she won the US Women’s Chess Championship twice and eventually earned the title of FIDE Woman Grandmaster.

POKER AMBASSADOR

Being from a family of gamers, Shahade also learned games like poker at a young age. Her desire to compete in games where she had a skill advantage, such as poker, brought her naturally into the poker world. She started accumulating live tournament cashes in 2007. Over the years, she won the TonyBet Open Face Chinese Pineapple High Roller tournament for €100K and final tabled events at series like the EPT, Aria Classic, and World Poker Tour.

To date, Shahade has accumulated nearly $500K in live tournament earnings, alongside online poker successes. More notably, she has put the crossover between chess and poker at the forefront of many conversations, articles, and live events.

CHESS AUTHOR

Shahade has never been content to simply play games she loves; she also enjoys teaching others and writing about her experiences. She has penned numerous articles for PokerStars, the New York Times, and the L.A. Times, and has been featured in outlets from Forbes to CNN and The Guardian to The Wall Street Journal. In the late 2000s, she launched a poker podcast called The GRID, in which she highlighted hole card combinations and the stories they told by the players who called those hands their favorites.

In 2005, she released her first book, Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport, to spotlight some of the issues women face in the chess world. She later wrote Play Like a Girl in 2011, Chess Queens: The True Story of a Chess Champion and the Greatest Female Players of All Time in 2022, and Play Like a Champion in 2023.

FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS

One of Shahade’s primary focuses in both chess and poker has been highlighting the challenges that women face in the gaming world. Despite mind games being equally open to all players, regardless of gender, misogyny and harassment are significant obstacles for women. Shahade shines a light on the successes of women while also teaching young girls to play chess and overcome traditional gender barriers.

In a prime example of Shahade’s willingness to speak out about injustices, she publicly shared her experience of sexual assault by chess star Alejandro Ramirez. The 2023 revelations prompted others to share their stories, pushing chess organizations to respond to allegations of not protecting women. While she was forced to step down from roles like international chess commentator and Poker Hall of Fame board member in her quest for justice, she continues to fight against misogyny, most recently suing US Chess for defamation and discrimination.

ALEXANDRA BOTEZ

In recent years, more chess players have discovered poker and found success. Notably, Alexandra Botez has become a featured player in many poker cash games and tournaments, with her sister Andrea Botez making occasional appearances as well.

QIYU ZHOU

Qiyu Zhou, better known as Nemo, has also become a staple at many poker events. The younger generation of chess players in poker has also introduced their streaming followers to poker through celebrity appearances and livestreams.

MAGNUS CARLSEN

The most recognizable chess player in poker is Magnus Carlsen, a Grandmaster since 2004 and five-time World Chess Champion. He has held championship titles in his home country of Norway and worldwide in Blitz, Rapid Chess, and the World Cup. Behind Garry Kasparov, Carlsen is the highest-rated chess player in the world. After years of eyeing poker and playing on a small scale, he famously cashed in events like the Norwegian Championships and European Poker Tour, and played at the World Series of Poker. He has even played high-stakes cash games, such as those at Hustler Casino Live.

CROSSOVER NOT OVER

Today’s mind sports competitors tend to be competitors first and game loyalists second. They seek new challenges and opportunities wherever they exist. While chess provides a platform for the world’s best players, there tend to be more streaming and featured playing opportunities available in poker.

As more chess players follow in the footsteps of Shahade, Botez, and Carlsen, more poker players are discovering the joys of chess as well.

Expect the crossover between chess and poker to continue and expand in the years to come.