Try ChessReps and start learning chess openings from the best: https://chessreps.com/mustreader Today I’m joined by Theo Wait, Lichess’s Chief Operating Officer and media representative. Is Chess.com getting worse? How does their competition with Lichess look from the inside? We discuss whether free chess helps or hurts the game and how Lichess plans to bring chess to more people. We also talk about the FIDE election drama and the dispute between Chess.com and Take Take Take, including where Theo disagrees with Danny Rensch. Theo explains how Lichess fights cheating and decides who to ban, and raises concerns about the statistics in Chess.com’s Hans Niemann report. And of course, we finish with a blitz game — don’t miss it! Theo's X: https://x.com/cynophi Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/QYX5VcpTBP My X: https://x.com/mustreader My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Intro 01:51 — How big is Lichess? 03:16 — Lichess vs Chess.com 06:02 — How many people play chess? 07:54 — Chess is underfunded 11:19 — Should chess be associated with money? 16:20 — Is free chess hurting chess? 18:54 — Lichess’s budget 20:17 — Thoughts on Chess.com? 21:13 — What’s wrong with Chess.com? 23:16 — Is Chess.com good for chess? 25:10 — Lichess needs to beat Chess.com? 26:54 — Lichess’s main goal 29:24 — How can Lichess reach more people? 32:22 — What does Theo do for Lichess? 36:59 — Who pays more: Lichess or Chess.com? 39:39 — The FIDE election drama 41:34 — FIDE election: appeals and deals 43:54 — TakeTakeTake vs Chess.com scandal 44:34 — Did Danny Rensch get it wrong? 46:47 — TakeTakeTake’s «cap» comment 47:55 — Is Lichess’s anti-cheat good enough? 51:47 — Flaws in the Niemann report? 52:37 — How Lichess decides who to ban 53:48 — Comparing bans: Lichess and Chess.com 54:58 — Blitz vs Theo 01:02:36 — Game analysis My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 33 years old, I’m married, and I have three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese. Don't forget to subscribe! #lichess #chesscom #chess #theowait #chesspodcast