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The world do-meow-nation ends here.
Intelligent chess cat bot, Mittens, had wrapped the world in its tiny paws for the entirety of January 2023. The Chess.com product was immensely successful and even played a part in Chess' recent boom. But Chess.com has removed Mittens from its bots selection - and the community will cherish the good (and bad) memories together.
“This is just the beginning. Goobye for now.” Mittens posted its farewell message on Twitter.
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One of the greatest chess memes
On July 28, 2025,Chess.com introduced a number of cat bots, namely Scaredy Cat, Angry Cat, Mr. Grumpers, Catspurrov, and finally, Mittens. These bots had normal ratings and were a solid challenge for the average chess player. However, Mittens was different than the rest as it held an undisclosed rating and was way smarter than its cat gang.
Mittens grewextremely popular. It was featured in countless videos and content, most significantly by GothamChess and Hikaru Nakamura. Chess.com was on point with its marketing and it even created anofficial Twitter accountfor Mittens. This bot became a great meme and the chess world enjoyed the cat humor.
Why is the Chess.com cat bot, Mittens, so popular?
The new cat bot, Mittens, is neither a new concept nor the smartest chess bot invented, but what makes it so popular? We broke down what the secret formula might be.
Sarah “KZ” Zulkiflee
But all its glory ends now, as Mittens has been removed from Chess.com. In the shoes of the cat bots, you will see a new line of bots with an A.I (Artificial Intelligence) theme. These bots are ChessGPT, Chippy, Pal 9000, Skyweb, and Agent Chess.
The Mittens effect
Mittens is a simple concept, but its impact was beyond belief. Mittens has been a huge part of chess growth in the past month. It likely helped Chess.com, which is the biggest chess community, break its active daily player record, hitting10 Million on January 20. Recently, Chess.com also thrived on the Google Play Store,reaching #1 in the Free Apps Top Charts. It is an interesting time for chess enthusiasts as the centuries-old game continues to trend in the modern world.
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