In 2020, Thomas started playing chess but found that the available tools lacked statistics and analytics that covered multiple games. As a developer, he began building a tool for his own use. After discussing the idea with other chess enthusiasts on reddit he wanted to turned it into an actual usable website.

The first prototype of ChessMonitor was introduced to more users and received positive feedback. As the servers were not prepared for the large influx of users, some chess players had to wait days for their games to be processed. Nevertheless, more and more users started using ChessMonitor.

Based on community feedback, new features were added. Nevertheless, both development and user support required a considerable amount of time. Since ChessMonitor was a side project for Thomas, generating no revenue and incurring only costs, he explored funding opportunities. His goal was to work full-time on ChessMonitor, allowing him to dedicate more time and resources to the project, accelerating its development.

Thanks to the EXIST Business Start-up Grant, provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of Germany, ChessMonitor is currently funded for one year. Thomas is now able to work full-time on the project. In addition, Ivan joined the team, taking care of marketing and part of the business.

We aim to develop the best application for analyzing chess games. You can support us by subscribing to our plans and by spreading the word. Feel free to share your ideas and feedback with us via Reddit or Discord.