International chess site ChessCube has raised $1.25 million in a round of funding from investors, including South African early stage VC firm InVenFin. The site will have now raised $1.8 million since its start two years ago. ChessCube lets players compete online, while chatting, and also offers interactive instructional chess videos. It has more than 650,000 registered users.

It’s in a crowded market, competing with sites like Internet Chess Club, ChessBase, and PlayChess. ChessCube’s service is free, although CEO Mark Levitt said in an interview with LatestChess earlier this month that the company planned to launch a “premium service as well as some other revenue drivers late this year.” Release.

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