I'M Not A GM Starts Sunday With Botez Vs. Shahade
IM Not A GM is back with a sequel, and it will feature some of the most famous non-GM players in the chess community. Even famous streamer WFM Alexandra Botez will be joining, although she is not an IM. The event will run January 3-March 1, 2021, and will again provide highly entertaining and easily accessible chess content. The event kicks off Sunday, January 3 at 10 a.m. PT / 19:00 CET with WFM Alexandra Botez playing IM Greg Shahade in an odds format.
The stakes will be higher in this edition of the tournament because the prize pool has been raised to $10,000. However, some things must stay the same, so viewers will get to see IM Danny Rensch competing once again.
The format is similar to that of the Speed Chess Championship, except for the addition of a halftime break and slightly less time allotted for each segment. The participants will play 75 minutes of 5+1 blitz, 45 minutes of 3+1 blitz, and 25 minutes of 1+1 bullet chess in each match, with breaks scheduled for the players halfway through both the five-minute and three-minute portions.
Botez, now part of Team Envy, headlines the list of non-IM titled players who look to join the field and make some noise! They include NM James Canty, French streaming star Kevin Bordi, and WFM Alessia Santeramo.
Returning among the IMs will be many well-known faces of chess streaming, commentary, and social media communities. Perhaps the biggest star among them is now Levy Rozman (GothamChess) who has become one of the biggest chess channels on Twitch, and in December was the third most-watched in the Chess category:
(Stats taken from twitchmetrics.net)
Other players include PRO Chess League co-founder IM Greg Shahade, YouTuber IM Eric Rosen, chess personality and commentator IM Lawrence Trent, and many others!
Every match in the event will be streamed live at Chess.com/tv, and more detailed information about the event can be found in the general info article that will be posted soon.
