November sales are three times last year’s levels, one chess store owner said. In the 1500 year history of the game, chess is experiencing a sudden sales boom, topping wish lists this holiday season.
The following written content from Alyssa Newcomb
The game’s popularity can be explained by two big factors: People are spending more time at home during the pandemic, and the popularity of “The Queen’s Gambit,” a Netflix show that follows fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon.
After the show premiered in October, sales of chess sets spiked by 87 percent in the United States, while book sales about the game rose 603 percent, according to market research firm NPD Group. The sudden gains come after flat and negative growth in those categories, according to the report
“As Covid-19 hit, board games became more popular, and I’ve consistently commented in my reports that the basics will do well, chess being one of them,” said Gerrick Johnson, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets who covers the toy industry. “But again, no one knew chess would explode. Now it’s kind of too late. Retailers can increase orders and the makers can ship what they have from the warehouses, but they won’t be able to make more and satisfy demand until next year.”
Jeff Myers has operated The Chess Store, an online retailer devoted to the game, since 1999. He said he’s never experienced demand like he’s seeing in 2020.
“Me and my wife watched ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ together and thought, ‘Wow this is a great show’ and we wondered if it would help the business,” Myers said. “From the day we watched it until now, business has really picked up.” Read more from NBC
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