There are 198,050 people in the world more qualified than me to start a chess improvement community.

(That’s more people than there are in my hometown of Cadiz)

Yet, within 3 years I built, grew and sold one of the biggest chess improvement platforms in the Spanish speaking community.

How did I do it?

(Disclaimer: If you’re new to chess, the market is similar to fitness but for geeks like me. You can swap chess for any product or niche you’re in. The principles are the same!)

Chess is a red ocean. Supply is almost infinite. Everybody wants to build a community and monetize it.

Thousands of creators flood youtube with hundreds of hours of free content every day.

Not the easiest place to start a paid community!

But after growing my platform to hundreds of monthly members and thousands of sales and then selling it, I realised it’s not that hard. That is, if you know what you’re doing!

While growing Chesskool, I ran hundreds of tests, and failed way more than I succeeded. That experience taught me one thing: Product development has been commoditised.

And trust and belonging will be the key differentiators on the internet for the next 10 years.

A lot of people reached out to me about this (not just in chess).

That’s why I created this mini, unscientific blueprint for growing niche communities and products online. I’ve personally applied this in two very different B2C markets. Think of it as a checklist to make sure you don’t waste years doing the wrong thing.

And the great part about it is that it takes less than 3 minutes to read and can change the way you approach your business.

Ready?

The blueprint

1. Your top priority: the email list.

I know, it seems trite. But I had to put it first, because it’s that important.

I see so many BIG creators and platforms that still underutilise their email list.

If this is you, wake up!

In 2026, email is still underrated.

You wanna know the beauty of email?

It’s the best predictable channel to communicate/sell to your audience.

Knowing 2000 people will open your email, and that around 300 will go to your site and check out your offer is a superpower!

2. Create a movement.

If you have 5 free hours, go read Expert Secrets. If not, don't worry! Here's the 30 second version of the book:

To get attention from a market, you need to create a movement.

In movements, people identify with a future-based cause. You will be the guide, and your product will be the vehicle to help your members achieve their goals.

That’s it.

In my case, I am passionate about self development and human growth. These beliefs worked well with chess improvement, so I made that the core belief of my community.

Extra: as importantly as what you stand for, is what you’re against. This will unite your community more than anything else!

In the chess world, GM Noël Studer does this very well. He’s opinionated.

I love his newsletter because he stands for something: his simple anti-guru and anti-BS chess-improvement system.

Noël wants you to say: That’s not me! Beautiful!

3. Your product should have a soul

In the AI era, don’t try to be everything.

Be the only one.

We just said your community should stand for something.

It’s the same for your product. It should reflect your likes, dislikes, and quirks.

Your members will spend a lot of time using your product. Don’t be average!

In my case, I’m a competitive guy. So chesskool became the platform of friendly competitions. Experience points. Opening trainers. Leagues. And people loved it!

4. On building authority.

If you’re completely new, you can still borrow someone else’s authority.

This is not 100% necessary, but it helps.

As I said, I’m at best an average chess player. So I made a list of my GOAT collaborators and reached out to them.

And as luck would have it, my childhood hero GM Miguel Illescas agreed to meet me and joined the project!

Note 1: Dream big. If your project is worth it, it will attract the right kind of collaborator!

Note 2: Don’t just go for random influencer endorsements. They usually don’t work. You need their incentives to align with yours. Give them skin in the game!

5. Learn to monetise attention.

Alert: This can make you a lot of money.

Why do people buy in sprees?

The truth is, people are bombarded with ads nowadays. If you don’t give them a reason to buy, most won’t do it, no matter how much they like you.

Have you noticed how companies do campaigns? New year, new you. Spring sale. Summer sale. Black Friday.

A campaign is a series of mini events that lead to a main event.

They should at least have a beginning, a deadline, an opportunity (2x1, special prices, a cohort…), and a reason to buy (Black Friday).

Here’s the big misunderstanding: an email is not a campaign. An ad is not a campaign. They can be part of it, but they are not it! And no, you’re not gonna annoy your users if you consistently add value and are not boring.

There’ll always be a need for value!

6. Don’t quit.

99% of your competitors will quit after a few attempts.

Building a niche community takes trust. And trust takes time. If you can be patient and add value week after week, you’ll outlast everyone else.

Vamos, you can do it!

Hope you got value from this.

You can join the list for more stuff like this. And if you have comments or questions, you can message me at hey@gabricebria.com