Chess, the game that was conceived over 1,000 years ago in ancient Persia is now evolving to become a gaming behemoth of the digital era. Globally there are an estimated 700 million people who can play chess. Now the forces of streaming, e-sports, lockdown and a Netflix chess-based series have taken chess to the top of the gaming world.

Chess has always fascinated and enthralled gamers of all generations by evolving and moving with the times. For hundreds of years, it was a slow, immersive game. Bobby Fischer famously said: “Chess is war across a board. The objective is to crush the opponent’s mind”. Now it’s evolving and growing fast.

Since the birth of the internet, chess games have become faster and faster. Many people are surprised to learn that 99% of the games on chess.com (the world’s biggest chess platform) are the speed chess formats such as Blitz chess where games last 3 minutes or bullet chess which last 1 minute. Meanwhile derivatives like Chess960 (a game which randomises piece starting positions) and 4-player chess are moving into the mainstream. As chess adapts itself to 21st century gamers, Choker takes the evolution a step further by merging the brilliance of chess with the cunning of poker. The result is a game that is fast, tense and already gripping 21st century gamers.

While elite chess players are usually not demonstrative when they play chess – they let loose when playing Choker. Something about the random swings of fortune make Choker more tense and exciting at the crucial moments. Watch leading e-sports players like Hikaru Nakamura and Alexandra Botez shout, scowl and punch the air – making great viewing.

Choker allows players of lesser chess skills the chance to take on and even beat a Grandmaster – in the same way that a rookie poker player can get lucky and beat a world poker champion. But that is not because the game is any less profound or complex. Quite the reverse.  Choker requires more skills and has more complexity as it takes you through three phases of betting, placing of pieces and, finally, chess.

For those wanting to be the hero of their own story and play at their own pace – they can play against the AI in the World Choker Tour. Here they can virtually tour the world pitting their wits against a series of End Bosses such as the “Queen Assassin” and “Pawn Crusher” in a quest to become a Choker Grandmaster. As they move through the levels the bosses move faster, bet with more cunning and play chess more ruthlessly. Within the game, players can also play their friends and other players from around the world – live and direct.

Choker has attracted over 130K players mainly through word of mouth on account of its fast, fun and challenging nature. Gamers are playing for long periods of time (average 56 minutes) as they grapple with the new challenges set by this unique, made for the 21st century, hybrid. Hikaru Nakamura recently played random players for fun and posted the video on YouTube. Within 4 days 150,000 people had watched the variant with 99% approval rating.

The inventor of the game, Andrew Finan, says: “In many ways Choker and the new World Choker Tour, gives chess back to the chess enthusiast. In chess there is one starting position with equal forces – as it has been for a thousand years. In Choker there are an estimated 82 trillion possible starting positions for the chess phase and the forces may not be equal. Learning opening theory by rote, therefore, counts for nothing. To win the pot you’ll need your wits, your cunning and your chess brilliance.”