GothamChess Announced In Forbes 30 Under 30
IM Levy Rozman, (aka "GothamChess") was recently announced as one of Forbes Magazine's 30 under 30 in the class of 2024 in the "games" category, joining an illustrious group of entrepreneurs who were judged to be "leading a technological and artistic revolution."
Forbes 30 under 30! ☺️ pic.twitter.com/ZIPR5nj1RN
— GothamChess (@GothamChess) November 28, 2023
Having crossed the four-million mark in terms of YouTube subscribers, Rozman's meteoric rise to the top of the chess-o-sphere has earned him the moniker of "The Internet's Chess Coach," and the Brooklyn-born IM effectively serves as the public face of world chess in the media.
Rozman's Forbes entry not only sums up his his proclivity for hard work but also his willingness to give back to the community which has propelled him to fame:
"As the internet's unofficial chess teacher, Levy Rozman's content has exploded in 2023 with over one billion views. He has built a multi-million dollar content empire around proprietary online courses via his own course platform, Chessly.com, brand partnerships, and most recently, a major book deal. He has donated $100,000 to chess programs across the world, and imagines one day creating a brick-and-mortar network of "Gotham Chess Clubs" nationwide."
This latest nod from Forbes is not the first landmark title bestowed upon him in November... following the release of his new book "How To Win At Chess: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners and Beyond", Rozman is now also a New York Times bestselling author.
Massive news: My chess book is officially done! 😊 pic.twitter.com/8qchOg8aZj
— GothamChess (@GothamChess) April 14, 2023
In 2018 Rozman was like many other chess coaches, teaching "Monday through Sunday" to make ends meet and one day decided to start streaming on Twitch out of boredom. While growth was slow in the beginning, tenacity and several happenings that boosted the allure of chess, such as global lockdowns and the release of "The Queen's Gambit" on Netflix, brought in droves of new chess fans.
By 2021, Rozman was celebrating one million subscribers on YouTube and, just 24 months later, the five-million mark is within reach. GothamChess is now a household name and has school-age kids and adults alike yelling "And he sacrifices the ROOK!" every chance they get.
Rozman is also not the first chess player to appear on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. The world number-two GM Fabiano Caruana also received the accolade on the 2017 list, GM Magnus Carlsen in 2020, as well as WFM Alexandra Botez and Andrea Botez in 2023. The way that chess has boomed since 2020, it is foreseeable that these trailblazers will not be the last chess personalities to receive such recognition.
