Chess.com Launches Free Poker Site Gambit, Eyes 3 More Classic Games With AI

1 articles · Updated · The Verge · Aug 30

Gambit, Chess.com’s free-play poker site, is moving beyond its May beta with its first livestreamed Gambit Cup on Aug. 31 and new creator partnerships.
A 2-person team built the platform from prototype to launch in under a year, with AI speeding coding by reusing Chess.com’s codebase and design patterns.
Chess.com says Gambit will never offer real-money gambling, instead using bot matches, review tools and an Elo-style rating system to keep players learning and engaged.
That rating system also supports a subscription model for premium learning features, mirroring Chess.com’s core business where most users play free and pay for deeper analysis.
Chess.com is now developing similar sites for go, backgammon and mahjong, arguing AI has finally made expansion beyond chess practical after nearly 20 years.