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]
During the COVID-19pandemic, 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.[7] His viewership boosted when he invited YouTuberAntonio Radić, popularly known as Agadmator, to his channel. In response to this, Indian GMVidit 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 IMsTania Sachdev and Sagar Shah, Raina has been instrumental in popularising chess in India through his channel.[8] Raina tries to make the game of chess more appealing to the masses through his humour which, according to many, has helped him reach a larger audience.[7]
In addition to chess, he also live streams many other games on his YouTube channel.
Chess
Samay plays on Chess.com as samayraina. As of 6December2024[update], Raina has a rating of 1621 at rapid chess on chess.com, while the highest recorded rating was 1942 on 3 August 2023.[13] 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.[14]
Comedians on Board (COB)
He started organising online chess tournaments on his channel to attract the online audience to chess, called Comedians On Board (COB), inviting many of his comedian friends and other celebrities.[citation needed]
Raina with ChessBase India and Nodwin Gaming organised 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.[21]
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,[22] and relief for West Bengal and Assam flood victims.[23][24]
In June 2024, Samay Raina launched India's Got Latent, a reality show focused on uncovering hidden talents. The show, which blends comedy and performance, features a unique format where participants are evaluated not only on their talents but also on their self-awareness, with comedic commentary and celebrity guest judges contributing to the evaluation process. Hosted on Raina's YouTube channel, the show quickly garnered attention and positive reception, particularly among younger audiences, for its distinctive, humour-driven approach to talent discovery.[25][26][27]
He then ventured into the tech and entertainment space with the launch of his app India’s Got Latent, inspired by his YouTube show. Raina said he aims to eventually transition the platform into a full-fledged OTT service, featuring shows across genres such as poetry, rap, and reality TV. Within hours of launch, the app reached top of the charts on Apple App Store and Google Play Store.[28]
Controversies
Ranveer Allahbadia's controversial remark on India's Got Latent
On 10 February 2025, The Chief Minister of AssamHimanta Biswa Sarmatweeted that the Guwahati Police had registered an FIR against Raina aswell as other YouTubers, including, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Makhija, Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina, for promoting obscenity and engaging in sexually explicit and vulgar discussions on India's Got Latent.[29][30] Sarma also informed that the Guwahati Crime Branch had filed the case under various sections of BNS 2023, the IT Act, 2000, the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.[31] He added that the police investigation into the matter was ongoing.[32] The issue was also raised in the Zero Hour of Parliament, with concerns raised about regulating platforms like YouTube.[33] Later, the video was removed following objections from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).[34] The Maharashtra Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis condemned the YouTuber's comment.[35]
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