American GM Hans Moke Niemann shared his opinion on AI’s impact on chess, sports, and daily life. Niemann believes AI will not affect chess, points to the uniqueness of the game, and notes that chess will only become more prestigious.

Hans Moke Niemann

Hans Moke Niemann

American GM

“I started to think when AI began consuming our lives… But when AI started to consume our lives to an extreme degree, I realized that sports and entertainment would probably be one of the last things to go.

And I think what’s unique about chess — is that it’s one of the last board games to fall to AI. IBM defeated Kasparov in a controversial match only in 2005… The conceptual way that humans think about chess is still incredibly unique and advanced. It’s probably the oldest board game that’s maintained international prestige. I think that chess has stood the history of time.

I would say that, as the world develops, chess will only become more prestigious in the world of geopolitics. And I think that chess, considering its history, will undoubtedly be unfazed by whatever way that AI consumes every aspect of our lives.”

In 2025, Chess.com added the ‘Play Coach’ feature to the platform, an AI bot that provides personalized feedback and spoken guidance during play. In 2026, the database management system ChessBase released ‘AI Consult’, which breaks down positions in simple language. In 2025, American GM Hans Moke Niemann founded Endgame.ai, a chess platform with AI-powered tools for gameplay, tournaments, and community engagement.

Credit: Lennart Ootes