Key Takeaways
- ~44 million Americans are on Chess.com. The U.S. has more Chess.com members than any country โ more, in fact, than the population of any single U.S. state.
- Colorado plays the most, per person. Nearly 20% of Coloradans have a Chess.com account โ the highest rate in the country, ahead of Washington and Utah. The Mountain West and Pacific Northwest punch above their weight.
- California has the most players overall. About 7 million Californians are on Chess.com, followed by Texas (5M) and New York (3.7M) โ the biggest states, unsurprisingly, have the most members.
- Maryland is the highest-rated. Maryland has the highest average Chess.com blitz rating (913), just ahead of New York (903) and Florida (897).
Chess never really left the spotlight after its streaming-era boom โ and a viral data post this week reignited the question of where in America chess is biggest. Using Chess.com’s own state-level numbers (the platform has about 44 million U.S. members, more than any other country), here is where Americans play the most, and where they play best.
Where chess is most popular, per capita
Adjust for population and the map shifts away from the biggest states. Colorado leads the country, with nearly one in five residents on Chess.com, followed by Washington, Utah and Oregon โ the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest over-index on chess.
| State | Members (% of population) |
|---|---|
| Colorado | 19.8% |
| Washington | 19.6% |
| Utah | 19.3% |
| Oregon | 18.6% |
| New York | 18.4% |
| Illinois | 17.9% |
| Massachusetts | 17.9% |
| Virginia | 17.9% |
| California | 17.6% |
| New Jersey | 17.4% |
Where the highest-rated players are
By average Chess.com blitz rating, Maryland tops the country (913), narrowly ahead of New York (903) and Florida (897) โ a cluster of strong play down the eastern seaboard.
| State | Avg. blitz rating |
|---|---|
| Maryland | 913 |
| New York | 903 |
| Florida | 897 |
| District of Columbia | 893 |
| New Jersey | 885 |
| Nevada | 883 |
| California | 880 |
| Connecticut | 880 |
| Illinois | 879 |
| Massachusetts | 879 |
The most players overall
In raw numbers, the largest states dominate: California, Texas, New York and Florida together account for a huge share of all U.S. Chess.com members.
| State | Chess.com members |
|---|---|
| California | 7.0M |
| Texas | 5.0M |
| New York | 3.7M |
| Florida | 3.0M |
| Illinois | 2.3M |
| Pennsylvania | 1.9M |
| New Jersey | 1.6M |
| Georgia | 1.6M |
| North Carolina | 1.6M |
| Washington | 1.6M |
| Virginia | 1.6M |
America’s chess capitals
- Most chess per person: Colorado (~19.8% of residents on Chess.com)
- Most players overall: California (~7 million members)
- Highest average rating: Maryland (913 blitz)
- Best all-rounder: New York โ top-5 on every measure (3rd most members, 5th per capita, 2nd-highest rated)
About the data
Figures are from Chess.com’s published state-level data and reflect Chess.com accounts โ the world’s largest online chess platform โ not membership in the U.S. Chess Federation (which counts tournament players and is far smaller, around 110,000). Chess.com publishes its leading states rather than a full 50-state table, so the maps highlight the top-ranked states; states shown in grey simply aren’t in Chess.com’s published rankings. “Average rating” refers to blitz.
Data and references:
