Who is Phoebe Witte?
Welcome to "Who is...?" - the blog where we meet chess streamers and learn more about them! Join me as we uncover the stories behind their usernames and get to know them beyond just playing chess. We'll chat about their chess beginnings, personal life, and more. So, put on some music, get comfortable, and let's meet the people who bring us, chess enthusiasts, together!
Today, we're chatting with Phoebe Witte, a 24-year-old chess player, art history student, and Twitch streamer from The Hague, Netherlands. Her love for the game, sparked by her late father, drives her to share her passion and promote inclusivity in the chess community through her streams. Join us as we learn more about Phoebe's journey and goals in the world of chess.
Q: What made you interested in chess at first, and how has your love for the game changed as time has passed?
Phoebe: My interest in chess was sparked by my father. We played chess together when I was very young and he always loved the game. My father died three years ago from an auto-immune disease, and a year after his death I was looking for a connection to him, and I decided to start playing chess again to feel connected to him as we both loved chess. My love for the game has only grown. It makes me happy to continue and share a hobby that my father loved and to be in touch with him.
Q: What made you want to begin streaming on Twitch, and what has your experience been like up to now?
Phoebe: I wanted to start streaming chess on Twitch to share my passion for chess, in the hope that more girls and women will feel welcome to try chess so that together we can bring more women into the chess world. My experience so far has been really positive. The chess community on Twitch and the other chess streamers have been very welcoming to me, and it's nice to know that everyone is supporting each other.
Q: Do you see any connections between your love for chess, art history, and streaming? If yes, how do they affect each other?
Phoebe: The connections I see between chess, art history, and streaming are very personal to me. I share a love of chess and art history with my father, and both are very close to my heart. I feel that I can be creative with chess, art history, and streaming and that they help me to be more creative and make me mentally happy.
Q: How do you balance time between these three demanding aspects of life with your personal life and hobbies? Do you have any specific rules you stick to so you can pursue all of them?
Phoebe: I'm quite an overachiever and perfectionist (haha), so I find it hard to juggle everything. But I try to have a good plan that I can stick to. Some rules I try to follow are that I don't stream more than four times a week for about 3 hours per stream when I have a lot to do at uni. In exam time I stream less than four times to focus on the exams, and if I have some time off uni (vacations) or just don't have that much to do, I stream a bit more or longer. This way I try to balance uni and streaming.
Q: What do you hope to achieve in the future with your chess and studies?
Phoebe: In the future, I would like to achieve the WFM title in chess. I am training with a coach to achieve this, but it is a difficult goal so I may not achieve it. I will do my best to achieve it, but if I don't make it, that's okay too! As for university, I don't have any fixed goals for myself. I want to do a Master's after my Bachelor's and if possible a PhD to specialize in a certain field and maybe teach students at a university or go into art dealing, auctioneering, or owning a gallery.
Q: What do you think are the most important qualities for success in chess, and how do you work on developing them in yourself?
Phoebe: I think the most important qualities for success in chess are that you learn from your mistakes, for example by analyzing your games, and that you have patience. I work on these aspects myself by working with a coach who helps me analyze my games and explains different motives in endgames, tactics, openings, etc., and by really taking my time when I study chess. When solving puzzles, many people want to be quick, but it's more instructive if you take your time, 10/20 minutes.
Q: How do you engage with your audience while streaming, and what do you think sets your channel apart from others?
Phoebe: I love engaging with viewers during streams, they are the biggest part of why the community on my channel is so nice and welcoming. I try to always answer their questions and make everyone feel welcome in the stream. I think a lot of people can relate to my chess journey because I’m an adult improver. I only really started playing chess as an adult and for a lot of people, it is the same. That is what sets me apart I think. Most of the time I don’t play perfect chess, I explain my train of thought which often doesn’t make that much sense but sounds logical to me and I blunder my pieces every other game and I think that's relatable for many people.
Q: Can you share some of the specific milestones or studying strategies you've set for yourself on your journey to becoming a WFM?
Phoebe: Some milestones I’ve set are getting the WFM title before I’m 30. But my goal for 2024 is to get to 1800 FIDE first. My strategy for this is to keep training with my coach, but I also want to play more over-the-board classical tournaments because I personally feel like playing classical tournaments helps me a lot to improve.
Q: Lastly, who is Phoebe Witte?
Phoebe: Difficult question! I would consider myself very passionate about chess and I think chess is a part of my identity. I really love my animals Koda and Toulouse and I would say my collection of Lego and fantasy movie collectibles is a part of my identity that not many people know about me. Other than all the material things, I would describe myself as a quite ambitious and determined person.
