What Makes Good Content: "It's A Ben Finegold Stream Instead Of A Chess Stream"

To many, GM Ben Finegold needs no introduction. With over 130,000 Twitch followers and 160,000 on YouTube, the gregarious grandmaster regularly plays viewers, analyzes games, offers advice, cracks jokes, and much more on camera. In September and October of this year, Finegold is even doing some coaching for the Chess.com tournament CoachChamps.

Ben's recognition as the Chess.com Creator of the Month is long overdue. For the occasion, he spoke to Chess.com about the importance of individuality in content creation, his personal favorite streaming moment, and offered some advice for older streamers and content creators. Don't miss this one!

How long have you been creating chess content, and what made you decide to start?

Eight years. I’ve always played and coached chess, so streaming was natural for me and my personality.

You’re not just a streamer, of course. You have so many online lectures from both Saint Louis and Atlanta as well. A lot of your humor and insights on stream are apparent in your recorded Saint Louis lectures, too. It’s a different kind of “ being on camera” but how if at all do you think that experience helps you as a streamer?

Lately I’ve been feeling old so I don’t know if I’m as funny as I used to be. But I used to be funny, that’s what people remember. I’ve done content forever, even before it was on the internet I would do lectures in live settings. I was always making content, just now that there’s Twitch you can see the content all the time.

Obviously a lot of streamers and a lot of your audience (I presume) are on the younger side. Do you have advice for people who might think they’re “too old” to start streaming?

I have some older viewers too. I think there’s a place for older streamers. My wife streams also, she streams poker. There’s a place for older streamers but most of the streamers, as you said, are a lot younger. You just have to get yourself out there with the content that you can deliver. If the content is good or interesting people like it no matter how old you are.

Individuality is what brings people to the stream, that it’s not like every other stream. So I try to make my stream about things that I’m interested in. That way it’s a Ben Finegold instead of a chess stream. You know you're going to get stuff that I'm interested in. And I don’t play any music on my stream. Most people play music, but it seems like if I’m talking I don’t want music playing in the background. I figure if people want music they can turn on music themselves.

What’s your favorite thing about creating? What makes it fun?

Interacting with people from all over the world.

Who are some of your favorite chess content creators, and why?

Hikaru, Naroditsky, and the Botez sisters. Their streams are fun to watch.

I generally don’t watch other people’s streams, but when I see Hikaru’s content it’s really interesting. And he makes a lot of content.

I like watching Naroditsky too. I like watching and hearing what he has to say. He’s a nice guy and I like watching him play, a lot of bullet, and it’s amazing how fast he can play and how accurate. It’s interesting for me to see how Hikaru or Naroditsky play chess because they play so well. I guess I like the extra strong streamers.

And you were obviously pretty strong yourself. You've beaten GMs Boris Gelfand and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Most of your audience probably knows about that, but for those who don't, could you talk about your playing career a bit more?

Between 10 and 30 years ago was my strongest playing career, like between 20 and 40 would be my peak of chess. I just turned 56, so when you get into your 50s you gotta make more content and do less chess playing. Because people see me play and they’re like, “Nooo, stop playing so bad.”

But I play on my stream and we have tournaments, so most of my playing right now is against lower-rated players. I’ve sort of stopped caring about my rating. People used to talk about their rating all the time and they still do, but I’ve lost interest in that because my rating is so much lower than it used to be. I’ve lost 200 points USCF since my peak days.

Father time catches up with us all. When I was good I was a good player, I played in nine U.S. Championships and I have a lot of good results from big tournaments. But now my playing days are over.

But I can still be funny. I can still keep making content. That hasn’t changed. I’m probably less energetic than I used to be but that’s ok—I was too energetic anyway!

What is your single favorite piece of chess content you've ever created?

When I made nine queens on stream!

You have a lot of moments like that. My personal favorite is one where you premoved a checkmate from move three.

Yeah those are fun.

But the nine queens, does that kind of thing just happen?

Yeah, I’ve only done it the one time. I also like setting the board back up in checkmate, mating with bishop and knight, underpromoting, and giving all my pieces away. I try to do something funny if I can. Like eight rooks, five bishops, stuff like that.

What is your single favorite piece of chess content that was created by someone else?

Hikaru and I doing a sub battle a few years ago.

Can you tell us a little bit about your creative process?

I try to be funny and make jokes and talk about a wide variety of topics.

Do you ever make a joke and wonder if it was wise, or is that just a part of the spontaneity of streaming?

I think I go too far a lot of the time and I regret what I say, but spur of the moment you say stuff that you don’t really have time to think about.

Share any other thoughts you have! Unique things about your content that no one else does; something your audience doesn't know about you; or anything else.

I’m a sit down comedian on my stream and I try to bring the energy and be loud! I hope people enjoy an older streamer whose playing days are behind but can still make people have a good time watching the stream. That’s what I gotta do now, I can’t play good moves but I can still make good jokes.

Do you have a favorite one of your catchphrases?

Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat. Kramnik-approved!