Twitch
Polish Streamer Builds 347K Following by Riding the Chess Boom Wave
**From Chess Tournaments to Twitch Fame: The Rise of a Polish Gaming Phenomenon**
When Bartosz Rudecki first fired up his Twitch channel in August 2020, he had no idea he was about to ride one of the biggest waves in online chess history. The 26-year-old from Radomsko, Poland, started streaming under the username xntentacion with modest ambitions - just playing some TeamFight Tactics and League of Legends to an audience of around 10 viewers. But timing, as they say, is everything.
**The Perfect Storm of Chess and Netflix**
By the end of 2020, Rudecki made a pivotal shift that would define his streaming career. He pivoted to chess content just as Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit" was creating an unprecedented surge in chess interest worldwide. This wasn't just luck - Rudecki had the credentials to back it up. He'd been a competitive chess player since his youth, representing Poland in the European Youth Team Chess Championship in 2017 and later playing for Warsaw School of Economics in university tournaments.
**Breaking Through with Big Names**
The real breakthrough came through collaboration with established chess streamers, particularly Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. These partnerships exposed Rudecki to international audiences and helped him build credibility in the chess streaming space. His growing reputation earned him a spot in Chess.com's All-Stars Bullet Chess Championship in April 2021, competing alongside chess celebrities like Alexandra Botez and Anna Cramling. During that tournament broadcast, his channel peaked at an impressive 58,570 viewers - setting a record for Polish Twitch livestreaming at the time.
**Current Content and Community**
Today, xntentacion has evolved beyond pure chess content. With nearly 347,000 followers, he streams a variety of content including Just Chatting sessions, Counter-Strike matches, and his original love, Teamfight Tactics. His schedule is notably consistent during weekdays, often streaming over 11 hours on Mondays and maintaining regular slots throughout the week. The Polish streamer maintains strong engagement with his community, averaging around 820 viewers per stream and ranking as the #58 chess streamer on the platform.
**The Polish Streaming Scene**
Rudecki represents something significant in the European streaming landscape - he's proven that non-English content creators can build substantial international audiences when they find the right niche. His success demonstrates how regional streamers can leverage global trends like the chess boom to build lasting careers. While he may not have the massive viewer counts of top-tier streamers, his dedicated community and consistent content creation have established him as a notable figure in both Polish gaming culture and the international chess streaming scene.
