Onboarding Chess Players On Hive: Benefits & Downsides

_{I haven't been able to make videos this season 😐}

Hi Chess Lovers,

With this season's Fridays Hivechess event coming to an end, It is worth analyzing and looking for ways to improve the chess community. When we take a look at the prize generated after weeks of play, I can say there is a huge improvement in the rewards thanks to @stayoutoftherz. This season featured a new sponsor in @leogrowth which is a big indicator that Chess can be supported and promoted on Hive. Things are improving, The tournaments are getting tougher, Alot of new players are popping up every week. Some people join, and we don't see them again.

In this post, I want to write some ideas on what I think about Onboarding New Chess players on Hive- Its Pros and Cons. Feel free to tell me what you think in the comment section.

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Let's Start With Previously Onboarded Players.

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I was technically the only known Nigerian that has been playing Hivechess for a while. However, In over a year, I've been able to onboard 5 Nigerian chess players amongst which 4 have been actively playing Hivechess.

@pamboy27, @kintokris, @iammanythings1, and @wildthougts have been actively playing, while newly onboarded user @ajumaa has played only twice this season.

Now, I'm going to share a statement by @agreste before I share my thoughts.

I think it's great that new players are creating a Hive account because that means that the tournament is bringing new users to the platform. But if a user stays with 0 posts, 0 HP, and no interaction with other users, it doesn't seem to me to add up. Maybe it would be good if the prizes are conditional on a certain level of commitment to the growth of our blockchain.

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It's Not So Simple...

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Yes, I think it's great that players are coming into Hive through chess However, I think it is the same thing as other games. Chess players are a different kind of breed. It's not so simple convincing them to invest heavily in Hive. They have to figure it out themselves over time.

These things take time. For example, @iammanythings1 is a manager of Danhypro chess academy and is no longer an active chess player so it was a bit easy pitching Hive to him. He enjoys playing chess and writing too. With the help of @ocd, I've been able to support him when I can. Last Hivechess tournament, He was able to get his best finish.

Is he committed to the Blockchain?

I don't think so for now. Unlike the other non-boarded chess players, He has made the least number of comments and posts. I think he always pops up only to play chess or write a post. After a recent conversation, I think all that is about to change as he understands more about Hive now.

I don't think new players should be conditioned to do alot, maybe just an introduction post and joining the community discord server at least will do. These things take time and at the end of the day, people get to discover that Hive is a beautiful and interesting place.

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High level of competition

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I've always enjoyed a high level of competition. I love hard tournaments. I love to play good and strong players. It gladens my heart to currently be in the third spot in this season's Hivechess. Why? because of how tough this season has been.

Look at the Ratings! You would see how tough it has been. This is what I like to see.

The 4 players I onboarded are in the top 12 and are doing well.

What would happen if I onboard stronger Nigerian players?

It would get tougher! Since I can't handle some players, Maybe I can bring people who can handle them or at least try.

Bringing new chess players to Hivechess comes at a cost as many of them might focus only on chess. Might not explore the blockchain, or might take time before committing to Hive.

In Conclusion...

I think onboarding players to Hive through chess is not a bad idea. I'm always going to do my best to help them go beyond chess alone and explore other areas of Hive. However, Humans are not so easy to handle and it might take some time. The good part is if I succeed, Hivechess might just become very, very tough. Maybe @stayoutoftherz would need to give category prizes Hehehehe.

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Thanks For Reading!