Chess Betting Sites

chess betting

Online Chess Betting Bookmakers operating and taking bets on chess games and tournaments are popular these days and are likely to grow even more. A chess game is considered a sport that may come as a surprise to you and there are plenty of chess tournaments that are held throughout the year that allow real money betting.

Despite the sport being new to the online gambling industry, a few chess betting sites are available online. We cover the best sports betting sites to bet on when it comes to chess matches and the betting options if you would like to place a bet on a chess match or chess tournament.

Best Chess Betting Sites List

We’ve listed the best chess betting sites below, and also if you don’t currently have an account with any of our recommended list of betting sites, what bonus is available should you decide to sign up as a new customer/

More Info

bet365 – Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets

bet 365 logo
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
MIN ODDS
MIN DEPOSIT
18+ Min Deposit Required. New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.- Full Terms Apply. Registration requiredT&Cs Apply

888Sport – £30 Free Bets + £10 Casino Bonus

888 sport logo
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
MIN ODDS
MIN DEPOSIT £10
#ad 18+ Min deposit £10 • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 • Min odds 1/2 (1.50) • Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days • Free Bet stakes not included in returns • Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days and expires after 14 days • Bonus valid on selected Casino games only • Bonus wins capped at £500, excluding Jackpot wins • You must wager Bonus amount x40 – this requirement varies by game. www.begambleaware.orgT&Cs Apply

Betway – £30 FREE BET BONUS

betway logo
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
MIN ODDS
MIN DEPOSIT
New UK & Ireland customers only. Min Deposit: £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1 x wagering at odds of 1.75+ to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Terms Apply-T&Cs Apply

NetBet – £10 Free Bet Refund Weekly

neybet logo
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
quality iconpaypal logoFootball Icon
MIN ODDS 1.25
MIN DEPOSIT £10
18+ Minimum odds per selection 1/5 or more. Free Bets will match the customers stake. Customers can receive a maximum of one Free Bet of up to £10 per week during the promotional period. Bets only on Football will count. Only 5 Folds or more will apply. Only selected league qualify. Please note system bets will not be considered as a qualifying bet.T&Cs Apply

Ladbrokes – Bet £5 Get £20 In Free Bets

ladbrokes logo
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
MIN ODDS
MIN DEPOSIT £10
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £/€5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned.T&Cs Apply

Unibet – £40 MONEY BACK BONUS

+ £10 CASINO BONUS
unibet logo
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
MIN ODDS
MIN DEPOSIT £10
New customers only. 18+, BeGambleAware.org. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus. Wagering requirements: Sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), Casino 25x. Only one bonus can be used at a time, Sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the Casino, unless the bonus has been forfeited. Bonus will expire after 7 days of opt-in. Further T&C’s apply.T&Cs Apply

Coral – Bet £5 Get £20 In Free Bets

coral logo
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
efl logoFootball Iconpremier league logo
MIN ODDS 1.5
MIN DEPOSIT £5
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 1x £20 free bet. Free bet available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bet valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions +T&Cs Apply

Betfred – Bet £10 Get £40 in Bonuses

betfred logo
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
MIN ODDS
MIN DEPOSIT £10
New UK 18+ only. Register (excl. 13/04/2024) with promo code WELCOME40, Bet £10+ on Sports in one transaction within 7 days of registering. Get £30 Free Bets & £10 free spins within 10hrs of bet settlement. Bonuses expire 7 days after issue. Min odds, eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.T&Cs Apply

Betfair – BET £10 GET £30 FREE BET

Betfair Logo-01
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
Football Icontop iconHorse Icon
MIN ODDS
MIN DEPOSIT £10
New customers only. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards or Apple Pay will qualify. Please Gamble Responsibly.T&Cs Apply

William Hill – Bet £10 Get £30 Free Bets

william hill
[+] More Info [-] Less Info
Claim Offer
T&Cs Apply
Horse IconFootball Iconquality icon
MIN ODDS 1.5
MIN DEPOSIT £10
18+. Play Safe. From 00:01 on 18.10.2022. £30 bonus. New customers only, Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook (excluding Virtual markets).T&Cs Apply

Betting On Chess Tournaments

Chess can’t and doesn’t give many betting markets, so don’t go to the online bookmaker expecting to put a complex wager on because it’s impossible to find what you’re looking for without at least asking for a bet.

There are several foreign Chess competitions held throughout the year, and players from around the world participate. Unfortunately, most sports betting websites cover only the world’s top chess tournaments, so there are extended periods when there are no chess betting matches on these websites. 

What Chess Events to Bet On

Chess has a vast following and is played around the world, but not all chess events are available for betting. We’ve listed below the chess betting events that are available with our recommended chess bookmakers.

Chess World Championship Betting

The Chess World Championship is the most anticipated chess event of the year. The former Chess World Champion has defended their title against a challenger, the event lasts two weeks, and over 12 chess matches are played. 

The Chess World Championship is not always between the best players; however, given the event’s profile, it’s followed and watched by millions of people throughout the world.

The Candidate Tournaments are also available to bet on with most bookmakers. These are held before the World Championship. 

The Candidate Tournaments are used to seed a pool of potential champions with the number one candidate to face the current world champion.

Chess Olympiad 

The Chess Olympiad is perhaps the biggest chess team event in the world. It’s competed in by teams from all over the world, with the winning team being crowned as champions.

The Chess Olympiad features both women and men’s teams with a chess team consisting of 4 players who all compete against another team. The results from each player are scored, with the winning team having the best results.

Other Tournaments

The four Majors, the US Masters, USPGA, US Open, and British Open Championship and you will find that all the major betting sites cover these.

The betting companies also cover some of the tournaments: the Tata Chess Steel Masters, European Individual Chess Championship, Zurich Chess Challenge, London Chess Class, and Grand Slam Masters Final.

There’s also plenty of chess betting options available when events like the FIDE Grand Prix and the Gibraltar Masters going on. 

Betting Options On A Chess Game

The first move with chess betting online is to find a reputable chess betting site.

Online betting on chess isn’t the most popular activity on UK online bookies, but it’s as simple as wagering on, say, football or rugby. Besides, you don’t even need to grasp how the game itself works to have a flutter; the gap between the best players in the world is so low that upsets are relatively standard in chess!

Like other sports, chess includes an overall winner, draw and championship winner, and you’ll be familiar with them if you’re used to betting on other sports. 

As chess is played in a knockout tournament format, you can place quite a few different bets, with the most common being a bet on which player will win any tournament. 

If you look at a match or tournament and fancy a winner, the closer to the event or match, the worse the odds will get. As betting options with chess are limited, it pays to place your bets early to secure the best odds.

Chess Betting Strategy

Chess isn’t a simple game; some of the moves and strategies are pretty complex, it remains straightforward in terms of betting and analyzing. 

One of the most lucrative bets for beginners is the outright tournament winner, mainly as odds vary wildly from when the match or tournament is announced to when it begins, allowing for a more significant profit margin if you get into the action early.

Other than that, the match bet or heads-up bet is the cheapest and easiest bet to make, but you won’t make a big profit as the odds reflect the teams’ skills.

Match Betting

Like many sports, it’s commonplace to bet on the winner of a particular match. For example, you usually want to bet on one of three things when making a wager on a chess match:

  • A home player will win
  • An away player will win
  • Draw

Some bookmakers may offer you the ability to bet on handicapped matches, like a team being a game down before the game starts.

It isn’t much more complicated than that, though the variations on who will win and how they will win are numerous.

Live Betting

Which Chess Players To Bet On

As you may know, chess skills vary dramatically from player to player.

Specifically designed to rate the skill levels of different players in competitive games, the Elo rating system is often used in other sports as well, apart from chess.

This is worth looking at as it will give you an insight into player ratings.

About Joe Kizlauskas

Joe is a seasoned iGaming copywriter and speaker who has been in the business since 2015. He's written more words on all elements of Casinos, Slots, Bingo & Sports Betting than he likes to remember, and he's contributed material to a number of well-known brands. Joe may be seen playing 5 a side, at the gym or playing games on his Playstation when he is not writing.