Olympic Esports Series 2023: Second time's the charm for chess grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk

The Ukrainian-born grandmaster speaks to Olympics.com about competing in the Olympic Esports Series 2023 and how it will help chess grow.

5 minBy Aron Garst
Oleksandr Bortnyk chess
(@bortnykchess / Instagram)

When Oleksandr Bortnyk moved from Ukraine to Texas in 2018, he didn't even know that streaming was possible. He hadn't encountered Twitch while living in his home country, so when someone asked him about becoming a chess streamer he didn't know where to begin.

"I remember asking 'What is a chess streamer?' when I heard that," Bortnyk said. "Streaming wasn't popular in Ukraine in 2018, but I found out about it when I came here. I had a garbage laptop but I brought in 200 viewers for my first stream."

Now, more than five years later, Bortnyk is embedded in the online chess community. The grandmaster is a Chess.com streamer, has an online coaching course, and regularly plays in online tournaments. That includes competing this week in the Olympic Esports Series in chess with hopes of making it to the Finals.

The Olympic Esports Series 2023 is a global virtual and simulated sports competition, created by the IOC, and in collaboration with game publishers and International Federations (IFs) such as the International Chess Federation (FIDE). And the finals of the Olympic Esports Series 2023 can be streamed on Olympics.com

"Twitch has changed everything," Bortnyk said. "I rarely used a board to play chess in nearly two years because of the pandemic. It pushed everything to be online. So much of it has been online."

Bortnyk is part of the burgeoning online chess community that's dominated Twitch, YouTube and elsewhere over the last three years. Although he still travels to play in-person, a good chunk of the action he sees takes place on Chess.com and other sites.

After originally moving to Texas to go to school, he dropped out to make the shift to playing chess full time. He's found that competing in the United States is quite a bit different than playing in Europe.

"It's hard to earn money by moving around and playing chess, and in Europe some organisers pay for playing at events," he said. "It's not a lot, but it's good. They respect the grind to become a grandmaster."

Oleksandr Bortnyk on the differences between chess competitions in Europe and the U.S.

Making a living by playing chess is no easy feat, whether you're doing it in Madrid or Miami. Plenty of chess players – even ones at the top – have to subsidise their play with content creation on Twitch and YouTube, coaching, or a job separate from chess. Winning, and hustling to make constant travel work while you're raising a daughter, helps.

"My life in Europe was spent messaging organisers across the continent," Bortnyk said. "I'd message the organisers in Spain and France and ask if they would pay me to attend their tournament. I'd plan everything around whatever they could offer."

Bortnyk has travelled all over the U.S., from Seattle to Florida while playing over the last five years. Bortnyk remembers experiencing a little culture shock, surprised that he was asked to bring a chess set to his first tournament in the United States. He was almost certain that one would have been provided for him.

"I think this is only in the United States, that's why I was so surprised. The organisers usually give you the pieces, clock, and board," he said. "That's chess life in the U.S.A."

He's also found himself spending a chunk of his time playing online tournaments. He still needs to travel – it's the best way for him to earn as a competitive player – but he believes that the future of online chess is bright.

Oleksandr Bortnyk: Why I took part in the Olympic Esports Series

That's part of the reason he took part in the challenging qualification process for the Olympic Esports Series chess competition. Bortnyk fought his way to the knockout stage of multiple trials, only to come in second during his first attempt.

"That's the worst way to lose. I thought about why I should continue this for a moment, but I couldn't stop. Once I start something I can't stop," he said, adding that he needed a little bit of luck to get past a field of steep competition. "There's a random element when you're only giving one spot away. You could start off with a weaker opponent."

Several grandmasters who've competed in the Olympic Esports Series hope that it makes chess an even more influential game in the future. They'd love to see more tournaments, community growth on Twitch, and plenty of more players. Plus, a chance in Singapore at the finals would be hard to pass up.

"That's one reason why I play," Bortnyk said. "The second one is the competition. It's a very hard format to win, and you get nothing for second place. You have to win that."

Follow Oleksandr Bortnyk's journey through the Olympic Esports Series.

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