User:Nopref/sandbox

Lessons
Chess.com has a unique feature of lessons. The lessons have videos which explain the topic and challenges which are puzzles regarding the topic explained in the videos. Contributors can create lessons but some are created by the core Chess.com team. There are multiple stages of difficulty in the lessons ranging from beginner to advanced, as well as specialized lessons for specific openings.

Computer Opponents
In addition to online games, the website has options to play against computers of varying strengths. Games played against computer opponents are not rated and will not affect the ratings given for playing human opponents. The website provides the Komodo chess engine with a scalable difficulty feature. In addition, there are computer personalities that simulate conversation based on actions through the game such as checks and captures. These bots will also play with their styles based on their given personality. With the freemium model the website is built on, the first personality bot in each skill level is free to play against, with the rest being unlocked by purchasing a membership. In addition to the default personalities, there are computer personalities that resemble streamers such as xQc, Pokimane, Andrea Botez, and other PogChamps players.

Chess cheating controversy
In September 2022, Chess.com was caught in the furor of a controversy regarding cheating in professional chess games. A controversy erupted with accusations by grandmaster Magnus Carlsen against Hans Niemann. Leaked emails revealed that some people cheated on the Chess.com platform in games involving prize money and that Chess.com removed some players' accounts, including grandmaster Maxim Dlugy, who had been found to be cheating. In August 2023, a US District Court judge dropped the lawsuit filed by Niemann, creating an end to the scandal.

ChessKid.com
Chess.com runs the subsidiary site chesskid.com for chess players that are under the minimum age requirement for Chess.com.

ChessKid focuses on a child-friendly environment aimed towards chess improvement for beginners to club players. It has a guardianship program in which parents and authorized coaches can overlook the child's progress over time, to see statistics about their progress in tactics or how many videos they watched so that they can give encouragement and tips on how to improve. ChessKid features no advertising. The face of ChessKid is FIDE Master Mike Klein, known on the website as FunMasterMike. He is an award winning player and coach, as well as Chess Journalist of the Year in 2012, 2015, and 2018.

ChessKid.com has run a yearly online championship called CONIC (the ChessKid Online National Invitational Championship), since 2012 which is recognized by the United States Chess Federation. According to David Petty, the event organizer in 2013, The online component [of CONIC] makes it unique because, normally, national championships require the players to fly in and stay in the same place. We had to ask special permission for the tournament because it is a rated tournament and there is a much higher chance for cheating.

ChessKid has made agreements and partnerships with chess associations to bring the educational benefit of chess to children in schools. In 2014, for a trial period, all signups to the ICA (Illinois Chess Association) included a free gold member subscription to ChessKid. They have a long-term partnership with the NTCA (North Texas Chess Academy) which gives children access to online instructors.