'GothamChess' New Book: Tops Amazon Lists, Becomes New York Times Bestseller

IM Levy Rozman's much anticipated new book was released with a bang on October 24, receiving excellent reviews, making it to the New York Times bestseller list and reaching number one on three Amazon lists.

How to Win at Chess: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners and Beyond is the long-awaited book by GothamChess, the World's biggest chess YouTuber boasting more than 4 million subscribers. As the title indicates, the book targets beginners who want to know everything about the game including "all the important moves and strategies to start off strong and keep you thinking several steps ahead."

Last week the book hit the shelves and Rozman shared a post on X/Twitter that went through his journey from playing chess in his childhood, to becoming a teacher, until becoming a Youtuber and author.

I was mocked for my entire childhood.

You see, I played chess. Only nerds played chess, or strange old men at the park.

But I loved chess, so I started teaching. From 2013 to 2020, I taught thousands of students across different ages and levels in New York City.

Now, I teach… pic.twitter.com/KBTaIlAmEt

— GothamChess (@GothamChess) October 24, 2023

The book reached 1st in three categories: Puzzle Books, Board Games, and Chess—positions it has kept since. In the latter category, it is currently ahead of classics such as Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, Modern Chess Openings by GM Nick de Firmian, and IM Jeremy Silman's How to Reassess Your Chess. 

The chess YouTuber also impressively reached 25th among all books on Amazon for one day. "This is insane," he wrote on X/Twitter. "Some of these books sell millions of copies. Thank you all so, so much."

Days later, the book has even made it to 4th place on the prestigeous New York Times bestseller list, in the category "Advice, /How-To & Miscellaneous".

Chess is officially a bestseller.

Thank you all so, so, so, much. pic.twitter.com/Jxwxd4EGqb

— GothamChess (@GothamChess) November 2, 2023

Rozman revealed two months before the release that more than 12,000 copies had been sold. His publisher Penguin Random House declined to give further comments to Chess.com on the number of book sales.

How To Win At Chess has since dropped to 142nd on the overall Amazon list. And the reviews on Amazon could hardly be better: 97% out of 164 reviewers rated it 5/5, with comments such as:

"This is the first book I've seen that could easily introduce someone who doesn't know anything about the game."

"It's fantastic! Please don't buy it, I want to beat you all."

"Levy can be proud, this is a fantastic book and fills a gap in modern chess literature."

In an interview with The Guardian last month, Rozman said that he did his best to hide the fact that he was playing chess due to the negative stereotype that came with the game.

“Now I have kids come up to me that tell me how much they love chess and they love my ideas, and I look at them and I go, ‘You look like you would have bullied me in school,’” he said.

250 people.

My first ever live fan event to celebrate the launch of the new book.

Thank you all. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/OL39kerxHA

— GothamChess (@GothamChess) October 25, 2023

GothamChess held a live event in Brooklyn, New York, which was sold out. More events are planned in November, he said in a recent YouTube video—one of them is already close to sold out.

While Rozman has seen incredible success, not everyone seems thrilled about his YouTube titles, which have been criticized for being "clickbait." Last week GM Hans Niemann, currently playing the FIDE Grand Swiss in the Isle of Man, reacted to one GothamChess video where his play in a title was described as "perfect."

"Some seek solace in YouTube clickbait because they have nothing insightful to provide regarding actual chess games.", Niemann wrote, with Rozman responding:

Hans, you call your own games “perfection”, and this is the analysis of this one. I am hyping you up. I tried staying as neutral as possible during the last year and will continue to showcase your games to the masses. pic.twitter.com/sxhsOiAW3r

— GothamChess (@GothamChess) October 28, 2023