Behind the Avatar - NoahdeAlwis

Interview conducted on June 14, 2025.

Me: Welcome to...IDK some number of episodes of Behind the Avatar! I'm @TheAuthorOfChickens and today I'll be interviewing @NoahdeAlwis. Noah, to get started, tell us about yourself!

Noah: Well hey  im Noah, official chess.com vote chess creator and guy that says "Quid?"

Me: Yep, checks out. So, now that we know you're actually Noah, I have questions for you. Why did you choose this username, and have you changed it before?

Noah: Well i choose this username, cause um no surprise, its my name! well my first username was @SantannadeAlwis, as thats my dads name, as the lore of my account is my dad created this account in 2021, and when me and my sister started getting into chess in 2023 we both started to use this account, as my dad never used it, anyway i continued using that name until sometime in 2024 when my dad wanted to create his own account and wanted me to change my account name, so then i changed it to this name! (ik thats a lot of lore to read lol)

Me: It's completely fine, I like long answers lol. Well, how about the thing next to your username, your pfp? Why did you choose your current one?

Noah: well thats also a bit of lore lol, well since my dad created this account the first pfp was, well, his face, however once my sister started using this account and was chatting in GM games live chats people where like "hey you say ur a girl but why ur pfp a old man." so she changed the pfp several times, the only one i remember is a pfp of one of our dogs Coco, anyway at some point she chose a picture of our cat Meow meow...and iv kinda had it ever since lol

Me: I hope she never got reported 💀. Next question! How did you find Chess.com social and what is your opinion on it?

Noah: i think it is a pretty fun place tbh, iv met a lot of cool and funny people there, and also apparently not only people but also many cats (and a chicken), biggest problems id say are of course trolls, iv often dueled and still are with many of them,  and also id say you have a higher chance of getting banned even if you are innocent. overall tho i think its a pretty good place

Me: Yeah, the troll part is pretty true. But there are still nice people (: *coughs* You didn't answer the first half...

Noah: wait im still illiterate lol well how i found it was one day i saw in my requested clubs to join was Gothams mob, and since i was a rook fan i joined, i was decently active there (and there i first met a troll), after a while i began to join a few other clubs, many youtuber clubs, but for whatever reason i joined The Great And Extraordinary Chess Club, this is where i really got into the social side, i made many friends quickly (some i still know), and from there i joined many clubs, eventually 200 i think i joined social in like june 2023

Me: Interesting. Well, speaking of clubs, do you own any?

Noah: first off i own The Chess Emperors Club, only thing i use it for nowadays is just grinding in vote chess, right now its 35th world wide and rising. my second club is my private club, NoahdeAlwis's Private Club, which rlly is just for me to test things(as onlyi am allowed there) , oh yeah its also a great bait to rickroll ppl in my bio hehehehehehehe

Me: I actually fell for that rickroll lol. Do you have a staff position in any clubs? (I'm getting lazy fr)

Noah: First off i have been promoted admin in Chess.com vs Chesskid, Chess Temple, The Amazing Chess Club, The Premier Chess Club, Pawns Journey, The Green Team, im SA in Kayla Fan Club (idk why but the name sounds sus), coordinator  in Croissant Club, Chess Society, and Author's Flock (idk who the owner is, some Tom Cruise hater ig). oof thats a lot lol, and yes i do something in all those clubs

Me: "some Tom Cruise hater" XD (although you're kinda correct Tom isn't a very nice person but I can like Top Gun without liking one of the actors). Anyways, that's quite the list you've got there! That means a lot of people trust you! I think this is a good time to ask our next question: What was the first big club you joined, and how did you find it?

Noah: like big in social? prob United Chess Nations ig, that was after i joined The Great And Extraordinary Chess Club and joined tons of clubs, idk why i joined, all those clubs in 2023 are kind of a blur lol,  however at first i was active there and even became a coord there

Me: Big in social or big member count in general either works. Do you prefer clubs or OTF, and why?

Noah: oh clubs definitely, i dont really go on OTF, i just go on club forums

Me: You don't seem like an OTFer either. Well, would you look at the time? It's Wrapping Up O'clock! Wait...that's not even a number...We'll just ignore that. What would you say is your greatest achievement on Chess.com?

Noah: ah definitely getting 3 clubs to top 50 in vote chess world wide, one (my club) i did nearly single handily

Me: Nice! That's a lot of dedication! Good job! Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your mood), that was our last interview question. But don't go just yet. Are there any blogs/clubs/people you would like to shoutout, and if so what/who are they?

Noah: id like to give a shout out to Deflect To Victory and Chess.com vs. Chesskid, also a shout out to all the guys at blogchamps, also to @TheVortexOfChess, you know the drill : #MORETACOSFORIAN

Me: I bet Ian's like #NOOOOOOOOOOOMYNOTIFS lol. Anything else to say before we go?

Noah: What we are finishing? *pulls out KP/-31* Not if i have anything to do with it! I have the power now! I am the one making the demands here! I am the one who will be asking the questions, not you! You shall not end the interview! You hear me? YOU HEAR ME???

Me: Well, here's the problem: It's my blog. MWAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHA

Me: So remember to eat food, breathe, sleep, and watch Top Gun! Cya!

Noah: he he he

I just realized I forgot to ask Noah how he's doing...