GOTHAMCHESS
Levy Rozman (born December 5, 1995), known online as GothamChess, is an American chess International Master, content creator, commentator, and author. Often referred to as "The Internet's Chess Teacher", he produces content on the online platforms Twitch, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rozman grew up in a Russian-Ukrainian immigrant family and began playing chess at 5. In 2018, he earned the title of International Master and reached his peak Elo rating of 2421. From July 2022 to April 2024, Rozman stepped away from competitive chess.
Rozman began content creation in August 2018. His Twitch and YouTube channels gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the release of The Queen's Gambit in 2020. His YouTube channel became the first chess channel to surpass one billion views. As of February 2025, he has over 6 million subscribers and more than 3.3 billion views on YouTube.
EARLY LIFE
Rozman was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 5, 1995, to Russian émigré Lina (née Zeldovich) and Ukrainian émigré Eugene Rozman. Growing up, he lived back and forth between New York and New Jersey.[5] As a first-generation American, Rozman grew up speaking Russian as his first language and only started learning English in preschool. Rozman was an energetic child, described by his mother as "a bit of a bruiser on the playground." At the age of 5, his parents enrolled him in chess classes and noticed that the game had a calming effect on him. Rozman entered his first chess tournament at the age of 7. In February 2008, at 12 years old, Rozman achieved a FIDE rating of 2000 but progress stalled for three years. After contemplating quitting chess, he returned to the game consistently at the age of 15.
CHESS CARRER
At the age of 16 in 2011, Rozman achieved the title of National Master through the US Chess Federation. While attending Baruch College in Manhattan, he pursued a bachelor's degree in statistics and quantitative modeling, with plans to secure a "serious job" after finishing his involvement in playing and teaching chess. In 2014, a year into his degree, he approached local schools to propose running his own chess program that involved coaching kids for tournaments and secured city and state titles with the students.
Between 2016 and 2019, Rozman committed himself to competitive chess. He obtained the title of FIDE Master in 2016 and International Master (IM) in 2018. In 2018, he reached his peak US Chess rating of 2520 and a FIDE rating of 2421.[3][4] In July 2022, following a disappointing performance at the New York Summer Invitational tournament, Rozman announced his retirement from "competitive chess events" due to physical and mental stress. He announced his return to competitive over-the-board chess in April 2024, with the goal of becoming a Grandmaster (GM).
BOOK
|HOW TO WIN AT CHESS| (I recommend)
