How A Single Recommendation Changed This Creator's Life

You know her as Unclejessi on Twitch and Chessi-G on Chess.com. Either way, our Chess.com Creator of the Month for January 2026 knows how to put on a chess stream. It takes a particular love of the game to go from a part-time variety streamer to a full-time chess streamer in just two years, but that's what Jessi has done, and she is sure to keep growing as both a player and streamer.

Jessi goes live on Twitch five times a week and you can also find her on Instagram and TikTok. Chess.com recently talked with Jessi about how she got into chess, her favorite thing about streaming, her dream chess collab, and more, including her co-stars on stream Rudy and Clementine.

How long have you been creating chess content, and what made you decide to start?

I started creating chess content in the summer of 2023. Before I started playing chess I was a variety streamer and would play different games every week. One of my good friends recommended that I try chess and I've been playing it ever since. I had never played chess before I started streaming it, I didn't know the names of the pieces or how they moved but the more I played the more I enjoyed it. I've had a great time learning chess and I look forward to continuing to grow!

One of my good friends recommended that I try chess and I've been playing it ever since.

What do you think it is about chess that hooked you on it both as a player and a streamer? 

I had never played it before, and so it was brand new. I just never had exposure to chess growing up and it was fun to learn something new. 

Of course I was really bad at first, and I definitely wanted to get better. People were beating me so quickly, I decided I had to get better. I wanted to be on the other side of those games. So I just kept playing and as time went on, I got a coach and things like that.

I've really enjoyed learning new things and everything comes along with it.

What’s your favorite thing about creating? What makes it fun?

I enjoy the community that comes with creating. I've met a lot of really great people throughout this journey and feel that I've made a real connection with my viewers. Creating has opened up great opportunities for me that I'm very grateful for everyone that has helped me along the way.

Who are some of your favorite chess content creators, and why?

I primarily enjoy watching chess streamers that I've met and have hung out with in real life. My brilliant chess coach JoeBruin and some of the amazing chess players I met at TwitchCon this past year including BloodQueen, Summer_Star_, ChessSharkz, Jayy_dizzyy, Moonzs, and KashCarbon.

What was the TwitchCon experience like?

I had a lot of fun at TwitchCon. I've gone the past three years now. The first year that I was there, there was a Chess.com booth, which was really cool. That's actually where I met Joe. Every year I've gone to TwitchCon, I've met new people and gained new friends. Last year was a lot of fun. There was a meetup at this local pub for chess players, then the next day we went to an Airbnb that a bunch of the chess streamers were staying in. We got to know each other and play chess and have fun. I've had a lot of great times at TwitchCon. I will definitely keep going in the future and keep meeting new people. TwitchCon is great.

What is your single favorite piece of chess content you've ever created?

Honestly, I don't think I have a single favorite piece of chess content that I've created right now. My goal is to keep my content lighthearted and fun so as long as I'm able to do that, I'm happy with it!

What is your single favorite piece of chess content that was created by someone else?

There's a video of Levy that I really enjoy where he plays blindfolded against 3 streamers at the same time and beats them all. It's really a testimony to how incredible the top chess players are and it never fails to amaze me. It's one of those videos that even if you don't know anything about chess, you can still appreciate the brilliance.

Imagine you could do a chess-based collab with anyone in the world. Who would it be, and why?

I read that Madonna has played over 19,000 games in an online chess club and has been an avid chess player for many years. It would be amazing to do a chess-based collab with her to bring more women into the game and showcase that chess is for everyone!

Do you have a favorite Madonna song?

I don't know that I have one favorite Madonna song, she has so much great music. She’s an icon and I think there are a lot of celebrities that play chess that we don't know about. It would be cool to have a worldwide celebrity like that who says, "This is how long I've been playing chess. This is why I got into it."

Especially a strong woman like Madonna. The Queen's Gambit did a great job at putting chess on the map, but there’s still certainly not enough women in chess. In at least two chess tournaments that I was in, I was the only woman there. (There were young girls, but I was the only woman.) It would be nice to see more women playing other women and getting into the game. And Madonna is a legend and someone that everyone knows.

Can you tell us a little bit about your creative process?

I try to make my content funny and relatable. I post a lot about the blunders and mistakes that I've made during games. I want to remind people that chess doesn't always have to be super serious and making mistakes is a part of the learning process. I typically go back to my previous stream and clip memorable moments that I can look back at and get a laugh from.

I also love making content with my bearded dragon and ball python. They're the real stars of the show!

How did you end up with reptiles as pets? They're not your typical cat or dog!

I'm always am dying to talk about them. Rudy is a bearded dragon. I got him about five years ago. They said he's deformed because he's missing part of his tail, but he's a special guy. And then I just got a ball python named Clementine earlier this year. She's albino, so she's white and yellow. They're just excellent. I love them so much.

Any final thoughts?

I never in a million years envisioned myself as a full time chess streamer/content creator but I'm so thankful that things have turned out this way.