I'd like to think chess has gained a new lease of life/popularity. Especially in the West, possibly due to the Netflix Queen's Gambit series (appealing especially to potential women players). That plus a slight lack of things to do during the pandemic (at least at first), and the internet (which at least apparently at first took some interest away from over-the-board play, due to chess servers being popular, but nowadays it may be that players play either way more). Time will tell if it's just another boom/fad for chess, like the Fischer-boom was world-wide in the early 1970s. My old acquaintence at my chess club valued organized over-the-board chess play most, as I do.
I'd like to think chess has gained a new lease of life/popularity. Especially in the West, possibly due to the Netflix Queen's Gambit series (appealing especially to potential women players). That plus a slight lack of things to do during the pandemic (at least at first), and the internet (which at least apparently at first took some interest away from over-the-board play, due to chess servers being popular, but nowadays it may be that players play either way more). Time will tell if it's just another boom/fad for chess, like the Fischer-boom was world-wide in the early 1970s. My old acquaintence at my chess club valued organized over-the-board chess play most, as I do.