About ICC

Founded in 1995 as one of the first premium gaming sites on the internet, the Internet Chess Club (ICC) traces its roots to a small, loosely organized community of internet chess players going as far back as the 1980s.

In 1992, a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, Danny Sleator, discovered this community. Seeing the potential, Danny led a small team of skilled programmers to rewrite the software and produce a feature-rich chess service. By 1995, traffic had grown from a few hundred to 10,000 regular users. Today ICC is firmly established as the premier online chess service.

ICC is administered by chess enthusiasts dedicated to maintaining high standards of privacy, sportsmanship, and the integrity of the rating system. We have hundreds of volunteers and a dedicated professional staff from all parts of the world, making ICC a truly international community.

Today ICC has more members, more Grandmasters, more volunteers, and more loyalty from our members than any other classical game service on the internet. We care about making ICC the very best place for people to play and learn together.

ICC is a Founding Underwriter of America's Foundation for Chess, a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the minds and character of young people by advancing chess in our schools and our culture.