BETBY, the leading supplier of Tier-1 sportsbook solutions, has announced the launch of the industry’s first 24/7 live chess content, supported by a fully in-house developed live model.

This marks a significant advancement in the provider’s long-term strategy to establish chess as a core, scalable betting vertical.

In the early stage of the project, BETBY identified a fundamental challenge: the absence of continuous chess events, which limited engagement and made it difficult for operators to offer a consistent product. To address this, BETBY undertook extensive research and development, exploring multiple content solutions while working to stabilise interest in what is traditionally a highly complex sport.

A major step forward came through one specific competition format: chess engines. These are tournaments in which leading chess programs compete under unified hardware settings, long time controls, and a structured seasonal format. The tournaments follow a round-robin and playoff structure, with each game played to a decisive result or a theoretical draw. This ensures a reliable flow of high-quality, uninterrupted content for sportsbook operators.

Developing accurate live models for chess engines required additional effort due to the lack of such solutions in the market, as well as the complexity of the systems and the enormous number of possible moves after each action. BETBY’s product, trading, and AI teams collaborated to build a modelling framework capable of supporting a live market offering, including winner markets, handicaps, total rounds, and other in-play options.

With this launch, BETBY partners now gain access to continuous, round-the-clock live chess content, an offering previously unavailable within the iGaming industry. The timing aligns with the upcoming FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2025, allowing chess fans to remain immersed in the sport even outside the tournament’s active match hours. As the official competition pauses, BETBY’s 24/7 chess ecosystem enables fans to continue engaging with, and betting on chess games, functioning as a natural extension of the event.

“Introducing continuous live chess is a turning point for both our team and the industry,” said Kirill Nekrasov, Head of Sportsbook Product at BETBY. “For the first time, operators can offer a stable stream of premium chess content supported by a sophisticated live model, even in a format as demanding as engine-vs-engine competition.

This is the foundation for chess becoming a mainstream betting vertical, and we’re only just getting started. We’re already working both on expanding the current coverage and adding new tournaments because we believe this innovation will strengthen operators’ portfolios and position chess as an important engagement driver.”

This development precedes BETBY’s major brand activation at ICE Barcelona 2026, where the supplier will further demonstrate its long-term investment in chess betting through a landmark showcase featuring its global brand ambassador and chess GOAT, Magnus Carlsen, alongside world number two and five-time US Champion Hikaru Nakamura, and the world’s leading chess content creator Levy Rozman (GothamChess), who has amassed over 7 million followers on YouTube. BETBY welcomes all ICE attendees to visit stand 5K20 to experience the activation and explore its latest sportsbook innovations.