Samay Raina: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Indian stand-up comedian}}
{{short description|Indian stand-up comedian}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name              = Samay Raina
| name              = Samay Raina
| image              = Samay-Raina Comedian.jpg
| image              = Samay raina.jpg
| caption            =  
| caption            = Raina in 2020
| native_name        =  
| native_name        =  
| birth_name        =  
| birth_name        =  
| birth_date        =  
| birth_date        =  
| birth_place        = [[Jammu]], India
| birth_place        = [[Jammu]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]]
| alma_mater        =  
| alma_mater        =  
| occupation        = {{hlist|[[stand-up comedian]]|[[YouTuber]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|[[Stand-up comedian]]|[[YouTuber]]}}
| yearsactive        = 2017–present
| yearsactive        = 2017–present
| known_for          = {{hlist|Co-winner of [[Comicstaan]] season 2|Winner (Comedians on Board All Stars) | winner (Botez 'Bullet Tournament')}}  
| known_for          = {{hlist|Co-winner of [[Comicstaan]] Season 2 <br/>Comedians On Board}}
| spouse            =  
| spouse            =  
| module            = {{Infobox YouTube personality
| module            = {{Infobox YouTube personality
| embed               = yes
| embed             = yes
| pseudonym           =  
| pseudonym         =  
| years active         = 2017–present
| years active       = 2017–present
| genre               = {{flatlist|
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* Comedy
* Comedy
* Gameplay
* Gameplay
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| channel_direct_url  = c/SamayRainaOfficial
| channel_direct_url  = c/SamayRainaOfficial
| channel_display_name = Samay Raina
| channel_display_name = Samay Raina
| subscribers          = 685 thousand
| subscribers          = 954 thousand
| views                = 157 million
| views                = 275.5 million
| network              =  
| network              =  
| associated_acts      =  
| associated_acts      =  
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| diamond_button      =  
| diamond_button      =  
| diamond_year        =  
| diamond_year        =  
| stats_update        = 22 June 2021
| stats_update        = 22 June 2022
}}
}}
}}
}}


'''Samay Raina''' is an Indian stand-up comedian, [[YouTuber]], and chess enthusiast. He was the co-winner of the second season of the stand-up comedy contest [[Comicstaan#Season 2 2|Comicstaan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Aakash Gupta and Samay Raina win Comicstaan 2 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/comicstaan-2-winners-aakash-gupta-and-samay-raina-5909204/ |accessdate=29 September 2020 |work=The Indian Express |date=16 August 2019 |language=en}}</ref> During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], he began streaming games of [[chess]] along with various comedians and chess masters. Through his YouTube channel, he has raised substantial amounts of money for various causes including help for [[waste picker]]s,<ref>{{cite web |title=Charity begins with chess? |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/charity-begins-with-chess/story-UHJbOc0DnwcQtNgpIfHlzH.html |website=Hindustan Times |accessdate=29 September 2020 |language=en |date=30 May 2020}}</ref> and relief for West Bengal and Assam flood victims.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mover & shaker: How stand-up comic Samay Raina is redefining chess for a cause |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/chess/story/_/id/29716812/how-indian-stand-comic-samay-raina-redefining-chess-cause |accessdate=29 September 2020 |publisher=ESPN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kulkarni (Rakesh) |first1=Rakesh |title=Chess For Charity: Chess for West Bengal, India |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/chess-for-charity-chess-for-west-bengal-india |website=Chess.com}}</ref>
'''Samay Raina''' is an Indian [[Stand-up comedy|stand-up comedian]], [[YouTuber]], and [[chess]] enthusiast. He was the co-winner of the second season of the stand-up comedy contest [[Comicstaan#Season 2 2|Comicstaan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Aakash Gupta and Samay Raina win Comicstaan 2 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/comicstaan-2-winners-aakash-gupta-and-samay-raina-5909204/ |access-date=29 September 2020 |work=The Indian Express |date=16 August 2019 |language=en}}</ref> During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], he began streaming chess games along with multiple comedians and chess masters. He has raised substantial amounts of money for various causes through his YouTube channel, including help for [[waste picker]]s,<ref>{{cite web |title=Charity begins with chess? |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/charity-begins-with-chess/story-UHJbOc0DnwcQtNgpIfHlzH.html |website=Hindustan Times |access-date=29 September 2020 |language=en |date=30 May 2020}}</ref> and relief for [[West Bengal]] and [[Assam]] flood victims.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mover & shaker: How stand-up comic Samay Raina is redefining chess for a cause |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/chess/story/_/id/29716812/how-indian-stand-comic-samay-raina-redefining-chess-cause |access-date=29 September 2020 |publisher=ESPN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kulkarni (Rakesh) |first1=Rakesh |title=Chess For Charity: Chess for West Bengal, India |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/chess-for-charity-chess-for-west-bengal-india |website=Chess.com}}</ref>


== Early life and education ==
== Early life and education ==
Samay came from what he described as a conservative [[Kashmiri Pandit]] family. He enrolled in a print engineering course in [[Pune]], which he said was a waste of time, and started doing open mic events and eventually became a regular in the local comedy scene.<ref>{{cite news|date=23 January 2020|title='Standing up' for Kashmir|work=[[The New Indian Express]]|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2020/jan/23/standing-up-for-kashmir-2093128.html|url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2020}}</ref>
Raina was born in [[Jammu]] city of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] into a conservative [[Kashmiri Pandit]] family. He enrolled in a print engineering course at Vidhyarthi Griha in [[Pune]], [[Maharashtra]] which he said was a waste of time, and started doing open mic events and eventually became a regular in the local comedy scene.<ref>{{cite news|date=23 January 2020|title='Standing up' for Kashmir|work=[[The New Indian Express]]|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2020/jan/23/standing-up-for-kashmir-2093128.html|url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2020}}</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==


===Stand-up===
===Stand-up===
After performing at multiple [[open mic]]s since 27 August 2017, Samay began [[opening act|opening]] for well known comedians like Anirban Dasgupta and Abhishek Upmanyu in Pune. As he gained recognition, he moved to [[Mumbai]] to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and gave several successful shows in Mumbai and in several cities across the nation.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
After performing at multiple [[open mic]]s since 27 August 2017, Raina began [[opening act|opening]] for well-known comedians like Anirban Dasgupta and Abhishek Upmanyu in Pune. As he gained recognition, he moved to [[Mumbai]] to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and gave several successful shows in Mumbai and several cities across the nation.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}


==== Comicstaan 2 ====
===Comicstaan 2===
Eventually he joined [[Comicstaan]] 2 from a suggestion from his co-winner Aakash Gupta and later he became the joint winner of [[Comicstaan]] 2 with Aakash Gupta which was aired on [[Amazon Prime Video]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Comicstaan Season 2 winners: Akash Gupta, Samay Raina win the Amazon original show, awarded prize money of Rs 10 lakh|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/television/web-series/story/comicstaan-season-2-winners-akash-gupta-samay-raina-win-the-amazon-original-show-awarded-prize-money-of-rs-10-lakh-1581506-2019-08-16|access-date=27 February 2021|work=India Today|language=en|date=16 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Comicstaan season 2: Akash Gupta, Samay Raina crowned as winners of Amazon Prime Video India comedy show - Entertainment News , Firstpost|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/comicstaan-season-2-akash-gupta-samay-raina-crowned-as-winners-of-amazon-prime-video-india-comedy-show-7177151.html|access-date=27 February 2021|work=Firstpost|date=17 August 2019}}</ref>
 
Eventually, he joined [[Comicstaan 2]] from a suggestion from his co-winner Aakash Gupta. Later, he became the joint winner of [[Comicstaan 2]] with Aakash Gupta, aired on [[Amazon Prime Video]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Comicstaan Season 2 winners: Akash Gupta, Samay Raina win the Amazon original show, awarded prize money of Rs 10 lakh|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/television/web-series/story/comicstaan-season-2-winners-akash-gupta-samay-raina-win-the-amazon-original-show-awarded-prize-money-of-rs-10-lakh-1581506-2019-08-16|access-date=27 February 2021|work=India Today|language=en|date=16 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Comicstaan season 2: Akash Gupta, Samay Raina crowned as winners of Amazon Prime Video India comedy show - Entertainment News, Firstpost|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/comicstaan-season-2-akash-gupta-samay-raina-crowned-as-winners-of-amazon-prime-video-india-comedy-show-7177151.html|access-date=27 February 2021|work=Firstpost|date=17 August 2019}}</ref>


===YouTube ===
===YouTube ===
During the [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]] [[pandemic]], all outdoor events were canceled and thus, Raina could no longer perform stand-up comedy. He then began streaming games of chess on his YouTube channel at fellow comedian, [[Tanmay Bhat]]'s suggestion.<ref name="TOISep2020"/> His viewership got a boost when he invited [[YouTuber]], [[Antonio Radić]], popularly known as Agadmator, to his channel. In response to this, Indian [[Grandmaster (chess)|GM]] [[Vidit Gujrathi]] tweeted that he too would like to join Raina on his channel. Eventually, Gujrathi made an appearance on Raina's channel, giving another boost to Raina's viewership. Since then, the two have fostered a strong relationship and frequently feature on each other's channels. Gujrathi attributes his moving from [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]] to [[YouTube]] to Raina's suggestion.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}
During the [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]] [[pandemic]], the government cancelled all outdoor events, and thus, Raina could no longer perform stand-up comedy. He then began streaming chess games on his YouTube channel at the fellow comedian [[Tanmay Bhat]]'s suggestion.<ref name="TOISep2020"/> His viewership boosted when he invited [[YouTuber]] [[Antonio Radić]], popularly known as Agadmator, to his channel. In response to this, Indian [[Grandmaster (chess)|GM]] [[Vidit Gujrathi]] tweeted that he would like to join Raina on his track. Eventually, Gujrathi appeared on Raina's channel, giving another boost to Raina's viewership. Since then, the two have fostered a strong relationship and frequently feature on each other's channels. Gujrathi attributes his moving from [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]] to [[YouTube]] to Raina's suggestion.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}


According to many proponents of chess, including GMs [[Viswanathan Anand]], Vidit Gujrathi, [[Anish Giri]], [[Teimour Radjabov]], [[Baskaran Adhiban]], [[Emil Sutovsky]] and [[FIDE titles#International Master (IM)|IMs]] [[Tania Sachdev]] and Sagar Shah, Raina has been instrumental in popularising chess in India through his channel.<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 August 2020|title=Mover & shaker: How comedy is redefining chess for a cause|url=https://www.espn.in/chess/story/_/id/29716812/how-indian-stand-comic-samay-raina-redefining-chess-cause|access-date=30 March 2021|website=ESPN|language=en}}</ref>
According to many chess proponents, including GMs [[Viswanathan Anand]], Vidit Gujrathi, [[Anish Giri]], [[Teimour Radjabov]], [[Baskaran Adhiban]], [[Emil Sutovsky]] and [[FIDE titles#International Master (IM)|IMs]] [[Tania Sachdev]] and Sagar Shah, Raina has been instrumental in popularising chess in India through his channel.<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 August 2020|title=Mover & shaker: How comedy is redefining chess for a cause|url=https://www.espn.in/chess/story/_/id/29716812/how-indian-stand-comic-samay-raina-redefining-chess-cause|access-date=30 March 2021|website=ESPN|language=en}}</ref> Raina tries to make the game of chess more appealing to the masses through his humour which, according to many, have helped him reach a larger audience.<ref name="TOISep2020">{{cite news |date=5 September 2020 |first1=Prasad |last1=RS |title=We have made chess more consumable for the masses: Samay Raina |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/we-have-made-chess-more-consumable-for-the-masses-samay-raina/articleshow/77950939.cms |access-date=29 September 2020 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>


Raina tries to make the game of chess more appealing to the masses through his humour which according to many have helped him reach a larger audience.<ref name="TOISep2020">{{cite news |date=5 September 2020 |first1=Prasad |last1=RS |title=We have made chess more consumable for the masses: Samay Raina |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/we-have-made-chess-more-consumable-for-the-masses-samay-raina/articleshow/77950939.cms |accessdate=29 September 2020 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>
Several well-known chess personalities like [[Pentala Harikrishna]], [[Judit Polgár]], former [[world chess champion]]s [[Vladimir Kramnik]], [[Viswanathan Anand]] and the current world chess champion [[Magnus Carlsen]] has appeared on Raina's channel.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=RS |first=Prasad|title=Anand to take on stand-up comedians in charity match|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/anand-to-take-on-stand-up-comedians-in-charity-match/articleshow/75361393.cms|access-date=27 February 2021|work=The Times of India|language=en|date=24 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Belz|first=Emily|title=The 2020 internet chess carnival - WORLD|url=https://world.wng.org/2020/11/the_2020_internet_chess_carnival|access-date=27 February 2021|website=world.wng.org|language=en}}</ref> He also organized chess tournaments featuring Indian celebrities such as cricketer [[Yuzvendra Chahal]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Viswanathan Anand, Yuzvendra Chahal and others raise Rs 8.86 lakh for waste-pickers community through online chess charity tournament|url=https://www.wionews.com/sports/viswanathan-anand-yuzvendra-chahal-and-others-raise-rs-886-lakh-for-waste-pickers-community-through-online-chess-charity-tournament-295065/amp|access-date=27 February 2021|work=www.wionews.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Joshi|first=Sparsh|date=25 May 2020|title=How One Comedian is changing the way India sees Chess|url=https://medium.com/@say2sparsh/how-one-comedian-is-changing-the-way-india-sees-chess-7d57810620b1|access-date=27 February 2021|website=Medium|language=en}}</ref>


In addition to the chess players mentioned above, several well-known chess personalities like [[Pentala Harikrishna]]; [[Judit Polgár]]; former [[world chess champion]]s [[Vladimir Kramnik]] and [[Viswanathan Anand]]; and the current world chess champion, [[Magnus Carlsen]] have appeared on Raina's channel.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=RS |first=Prasad|title=Anand to take on stand-up comedians in charity match|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/anand-to-take-on-stand-up-comedians-in-charity-match/articleshow/75361393.cms|access-date=27 February 2021|work=The Times of India|language=en|date=24 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Belz|first=Emily|title=The 2020 internet chess carnival - WORLD|url=https://world.wng.org/2020/11/the_2020_internet_chess_carnival|access-date=27 February 2021|website=world.wng.org|language=en}}</ref> He also organised chess tournaments featuring Indian celebrities such as cricketer [[Yuzvendra Chahal]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Viswanathan Anand, Yuzvendra Chahal and others raise Rs 8.86 lakh for waste-pickers community through online chess charity tournament|url=https://www.wionews.com/sports/viswanathan-anand-yuzvendra-chahal-and-others-raise-rs-886-lakh-for-waste-pickers-community-through-online-chess-charity-tournament-295065/amp|access-date=27 February 2021|work=www.wionews.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Joshi|first=Sparsh|date=25 May 2020|title=How One Comedian is changing the way India sees Chess|url=https://medium.com/@say2sparsh/how-one-comedian-is-changing-the-way-india-sees-chess-7d57810620b1|access-date=27 February 2021|website=Medium|language=en}}</ref>
In addition to chess, he also live streams many other games on his YouTube channel.  


On 1 November 2020, Samay Raina released a mock diss track about Sagar Shah on YouTube.<ref>{{Citation|title=ENDGAME {{!}} SAGAR SHAH DISS [OFFICIAL VIDEO]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIC6tWwNyhk|language=en|access-date=1 March 2021}}</ref>
=== Chess ===
{{As of|2022|6|22}}, Raina has an ELO rating of 1688 at [[rapid chess]], while the highest recorded rating was 1872 on [[Chess.com]].<ref>{{cite web |title=M Samay Raina (samayraina) - Chess Profile |url=https://www.chess.com/member/samayraina |website=Chess.com}}<!-- note: this tweet verifies that this profile belongs to Raina https://twitter.com/chesscom_in/status/1390054139321741315 --></ref> On 5 May 2021, Raina won the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational, a one-hour amateur bullet arena tournament sponsored by Chess.com and hosted by the [[Alexandra Botez|Botez sisters]]. He was the only Indian streamer competing among some of the top international Twitch streamers and earned $4000.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Samay Raina wins the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational - ChessBase India|url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/Samay-Raina-wins-the-Botez-Bullet-Invitational|access-date=9 May 2021|website=www.chessbase.in|date=6 May 2021}}</ref>


=== Chess and Comedians on Board (COB) ===
==== Comedians on Board (COB) ====
{{As of|2021|5|12}}, Raina has an ELO rating of 1695 at [[rapid chess]] on [[Chess.com]].<ref>{{cite web |title=M Samay Raina (samayraina) - Chess Profile |url=https://www.chess.com/member/samayraina |website=Chess.com}}<!-- note: this tweet verifies that this profile belongs to Raina https://twitter.com/chesscom_in/status/1390054139321741315 --></ref> On 5 May 2021, Raina won the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational, a one-hour amateur bullet arena tournament sponsored by Chess.com and hosted by the [[Alexandra Botez|Botez sisters]]. He was the only Indian streamer competing among some of the top international Twitch streamers, and earned a prize of $4000.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Samay Raina wins the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational - ChessBase India|url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/Samay-Raina-wins-the-Botez-Bullet-Invitational|access-date=2021-05-09|website=www.chessbase.in}}</ref>
He started organizing online chess tournaments on his channel to attract the online audience to chess, called Comedians On Board (COB). With many of his comedian friends and other celebrities.  
 
To attract online audience to chess, he started organizing Online Chess Tournaments on his channel, called Comedians on Board (COB).<ref>{{Cite web|title=32 well-known comedians of India will fight it out in Comedians on Board 3 - ChessBase India|url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/Comedians-on-Board-3|access-date=22 November 2020|website=www.chessbase.in}}</ref>


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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|-
|-
|Comedians on Board (COB) #1<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Comedians On Board 1 (COB1)|url=https://comediansonboard.in/comedians-on-board-1-cob1/|access-date=27 February 2021|website=comediansonboard.in|language=en-US}}</ref>
|Comedians on Board (COB) #1<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Comedians On Board 1 (COB1)|url=https://comediansonboard.in/comedians-on-board-1-cob1/|access-date=27 February 2021|website=comediansonboard.in|language=en-US}}</ref>
|
|29 March-2 Apr 2020
|Aakash Mehta
|Aakash Mehta
|Kunal Rao
|Kunal Rao
Line 94: Line 95:
|Samay Raina
|Samay Raina
|-
|-
|Comedians on Board (COB) All Stars
|Comedians on Board All Stars #4<ref>{{Cite web|title=Comedians on Board All Stars|url=https://comediansonboard.in/cob-all-stars/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|22-30 March 2021
|22-30 March 2021
|Samay Raina
|Samay Raina
|[[Biswa Kalyan Rath]]
|[[Biswa Kalyan Rath]]
|Vaibhav Sethia
|
|-
|Comedians on Board All In #5<ref>{{Cite web|title=Comedians on Board All In|url=https://comediansonboard.in/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|11-14 Aug 2021
|Samay Raina
|Joel Dsouza
|Prakhar Gupta
|-
|Comedians on Board Gang War (Team Event)<ref>{{Citation |title=COMEDIANS ON BOARD GANG WAR {{!}} GRAND FINALE |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJSnBPGtjMI |language=en |access-date=27 March 2022}}</ref>
|21-27 March 2022
|Susha Squad
(Team Owner- [[Suhani Shah]])
|Wazir-e-Vaibhav
(Team Owner- Vaibhav Sethia)
|Bot Army
(Team Owner- [[Tanmay Bhat]])
|}
 
==== [[Chess Super League|Chess Super League (CSL)]] ====
Raina with [[ChessBase]] India and Nodwin Gaming organized an online chess league called [[Chess Super League]] consisting of some of the Top International and Indian Grandmasters, International Masters and Indian Junior Players, competing in six teams of six players each. For the prize pool of {{INRConvert|40|l|lk=off}}. The entire event was streamed on Raina's YouTube Channel.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 October 2021|title=The Chess Super League is here!|url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-chess-super-league-is-here|access-date=10 February 2022|website=Chess News|language=en}}</ref>
 
== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Platform/Channel
!Notes
!Ref.
|-
|2019
|''[[Comicstaan 2]]''
|[[Amazon Prime Video]]
|Co-winner
|<ref>{{Cite web|date=17 August 2019|title=Comicstaan 2 winner Samay Raina: It was strategy to save my best for the last|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/comicstaan-2-winner-samay-raina-5912770/|access-date=7 October 2021|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2021
|''Comedy Premium League''
|[[Netflix]]
|Winner
|<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 August 2021|title=Comedy Premium League review: The closest India will get to a Saturday Night Live|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/comedy-premium-league-review-the-closest-india-will-get-to-a-saturday-night-live-7463321/|access-date=7 October 2021|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2021
|One Mic Stand 2
|[[Amazon Prime Video]]
|Mentor
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Amazon Prime Video announces mentors for One Mic Stand Season 2|date=12 October 2021|url=https://english.press24.in/2021/10/12/amazon-prime-video-announces-mentors-for-one-mic-stand-season-2-amazon-prime-video-announces-one-mic-stand-mentors/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}
|}


==References==
==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Raina, Samay}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raina, Samay}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Kashmiri Pandits]]
[[Category:Indian stand-up comedians]]
[[Category:Indian stand-up comedians]]
[[Category:Indian male comedians]]
[[Category:Indian male comedians]]
[[Category:Indian YouTubers]]
[[Category:Indian YouTubers]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Revision as of 20:51, 22 June 2022

Samay Raina
Samay raina.jpg
Raina in 2020
Born
Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Occupation
Years active2017–present
Known for
  • Co-winner of Comicstaan Season 2
    Comedians On Board
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2017–present
Genre
  • Comedy
  • Gameplay
Subscribers954 thousand
Total views275.5 million
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg 100,000 subscribers 2020
Updated: 22 June 2022

Samay Raina is an Indian stand-up comedian, YouTuber, and chess enthusiast. He was the co-winner of the second season of the stand-up comedy contest Comicstaan.[1] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he began streaming chess games along with multiple comedians and chess masters. He has raised substantial amounts of money for various causes through his YouTube channel, including help for waste pickers,[2] and relief for West Bengal and Assam flood victims.[3][4]

Early life and education

Raina was born in Jammu city of Jammu and Kashmir into a conservative Kashmiri Pandit family. He enrolled in a print engineering course at Vidhyarthi Griha in Pune, Maharashtra which he said was a waste of time, and started doing open mic events and eventually became a regular in the local comedy scene.[5]

Career

Stand-up

After performing at multiple open mics since 27 August 2017, Raina began opening for well-known comedians like Anirban Dasgupta and Abhishek Upmanyu in Pune. As he gained recognition, he moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and gave several successful shows in Mumbai and several cities across the nation.[citation needed]

Comicstaan 2

Eventually, he joined Comicstaan 2 from a suggestion from his co-winner Aakash Gupta. Later, he became the joint winner of Comicstaan 2 with Aakash Gupta, aired on Amazon Prime Video.[6][7]

YouTube

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government cancelled all outdoor events, and thus, Raina could no longer perform stand-up comedy. He then began streaming chess games on his YouTube channel at the fellow comedian Tanmay Bhat's suggestion.[8] His viewership boosted when he invited YouTuber Antonio Radić, popularly known as Agadmator, to his channel. In response to this, Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi tweeted that he would like to join Raina on his track. Eventually, Gujrathi appeared on Raina's channel, giving another boost to Raina's viewership. Since then, the two have fostered a strong relationship and frequently feature on each other's channels. Gujrathi attributes his moving from Twitch to YouTube to Raina's suggestion.[citation needed]

According to many chess proponents, including GMs Viswanathan Anand, Vidit Gujrathi, Anish Giri, Teimour Radjabov, Baskaran Adhiban, Emil Sutovsky and IMs Tania Sachdev and Sagar Shah, Raina has been instrumental in popularising chess in India through his channel.[9] Raina tries to make the game of chess more appealing to the masses through his humour which, according to many, have helped him reach a larger audience.[8]

Several well-known chess personalities like Pentala Harikrishna, Judit Polgár, former world chess champions Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand and the current world chess champion Magnus Carlsen has appeared on Raina's channel.[10][11] He also organized chess tournaments featuring Indian celebrities such as cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal.[12][13]

In addition to chess, he also live streams many other games on his YouTube channel.

Chess

As of 22 June 2022, Raina has an ELO rating of 1688 at rapid chess, while the highest recorded rating was 1872 on Chess.com.[14] On 5 May 2021, Raina won the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational, a one-hour amateur bullet arena tournament sponsored by Chess.com and hosted by the Botez sisters. He was the only Indian streamer competing among some of the top international Twitch streamers and earned $4000.[15]

Comedians on Board (COB)

He started organizing online chess tournaments on his channel to attract the online audience to chess, called Comedians On Board (COB). With many of his comedian friends and other celebrities.

Comedians on Board Tournament
Season Dates Winner Runner-up 1 Runner-up 2
Comedians on Board (COB) #1[16] 29 March-2 Apr 2020 Aakash Mehta Kunal Rao
Comedians on Board (COB) #2[17] 1-3 July 2020 Anirban DasGupta Samay Raina Biswa Kalyan Rath
Comedians on Board (COB) #3[18] 19-21 Nov 2020 Joel Dsouza Vaibhav Sethia Samay Raina
Comedians on Board All Stars #4[19] 22-30 March 2021 Samay Raina Biswa Kalyan Rath
Comedians on Board All In #5[20] 11-14 Aug 2021 Samay Raina Joel Dsouza Prakhar Gupta
Comedians on Board Gang War (Team Event)[21] 21-27 March 2022 Susha Squad

(Team Owner- Suhani Shah)

Wazir-e-Vaibhav

(Team Owner- Vaibhav Sethia)

Bot Army

(Team Owner- Tanmay Bhat)

Chess Super League (CSL)

Raina with ChessBase India and Nodwin Gaming organized an online chess league called Chess Super League consisting of some of the Top International and Indian Grandmasters, International Masters and Indian Junior Players, competing in six teams of six players each. For the prize pool of ₹40 lakh (US$46,000). The entire event was streamed on Raina's YouTube Channel.[22]

Filmography

Year Title Platform/Channel Notes Ref.
2019 Comicstaan 2 Amazon Prime Video Co-winner [23]
2021 Comedy Premium League Netflix Winner [24]
2021 One Mic Stand 2 Amazon Prime Video Mentor [25]


References

  1. ↑ "Aakash Gupta and Samay Raina win Comicstaan 2". The Indian Express. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "Charity begins with chess?". Hindustan Times. 30 May 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  3. ↑ "Mover & shaker: How stand-up comic Samay Raina is redefining chess for a cause". ESPN. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  4. ↑ Kulkarni (Rakesh), Rakesh. "Chess For Charity: Chess for West Bengal, India". Chess.com.
  5. ↑ "'Standing up' for Kashmir". The New Indian Express. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "Comicstaan Season 2 winners: Akash Gupta, Samay Raina win the Amazon original show, awarded prize money of Rs 10 lakh". India Today. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "Comicstaan season 2: Akash Gupta, Samay Raina crowned as winners of Amazon Prime Video India comedy show - Entertainment News, Firstpost". Firstpost. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 RS, Prasad (5 September 2020). "We have made chess more consumable for the masses: Samay Raina". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  9. ↑ "Mover & shaker: How comedy is redefining chess for a cause". ESPN. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  10. ↑ RS, Prasad (24 March 2020). "Anand to take on stand-up comedians in charity match". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Belz, Emily. "The 2020 internet chess carnival - WORLD". world.wng.org. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  12. ↑ "Viswanathan Anand, Yuzvendra Chahal and others raise Rs 8.86 lakh for waste-pickers community through online chess charity tournament". www.wionews.com. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  13. ↑ Joshi, Sparsh (25 May 2020). "How One Comedian is changing the way India sees Chess". Medium. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  14. ↑ "M Samay Raina (samayraina) - Chess Profile". Chess.com.
  15. ↑ "Samay Raina wins the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational - ChessBase India". www.chessbase.in. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "Comedians On Board 1 (COB1)". comediansonboard.in. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  17. ↑ "Comedians on Board 2 (COB 2)". comediansonboard.in. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  18. ↑ "Comedians on Board 3 (COB 3)". comediansonboard.in. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  19. ↑ "Comedians on Board All Stars".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ↑ "Comedians on Board All In".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ COMEDIANS ON BOARD GANG WAR | GRAND FINALE, retrieved 27 March 2022
  22. ↑ "The Chess Super League is here!". Chess News. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  23. ↑ "Comicstaan 2 winner Samay Raina: It was strategy to save my best for the last". The Indian Express. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  24. ↑ "Comedy Premium League review: The closest India will get to a Saturday Night Live". The Indian Express. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  25. ↑ "Amazon Prime Video announces mentors for One Mic Stand Season 2". 12 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links

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