Levy Rozman Releases 'Chew-Proof' Chess Book For Babies, Debuts At No. 1 On Amazon
IM Levy Rozman became the world's biggest chess YouTuber by teaching millions of players how to win at chess. Two and a half years after a massively successful book debut, he's taking it one step further by targeting readers who can't yet walk, talk, or feed themselves.
Rozman's newest book, Chess for Babies, releases March 3 and has already made it to number-one on Amazon's New Releases in Children's Board Games Books. Yes, GothamChess has actually written a book targeting the youngest of us.
“It's not a prank, it's not a joke, and it's also not a scam,” the YouTuber, commentator, and book author assured Chess.com’s FM Mike Klein in an interview ahead of the release.
It's not a prank, it's not a joke, and it's also not a scam.
—Levy Rozman
As the world's biggest chess YouTuber, known as GothamChess to his 7.2 million subscribers, Rozman hardly needs an introduction. Last December, the 30-year-old also added "world record holder" to his resume by playing in the largest online chess game in history. Rozman won the game against more than 225,000 players by checkmate.
In 2023, he released his first book, How to Win at Chess: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners and Beyond, which became a massive success. Rozman revealed that more than 250,000 copies of the book have been printed, with hundreds still being sold daily in 20 different languages.
It still tops Amazon's charts for the best-selling chess books and rarely drops below the top 1,000 books overall. A follow-up to that book, which will be Rozman's third, is already planned.
"It definitely exceeded my wildest expectations," he said. "It's incredible. When I visit European countries, people bring me the book in their language, which is insane."
It definitely exceeded my wildest expectations.
—Levy Rozman
View this post on Instagram
While his first book targeted beginners, he went in the opposite direction with his second book, targeting the youngest children. "It's a high-contrast book for kids anywhere near one day old, all the way up to three. It teaches them the basics of the game," Rozman explained.
The idea came from a conversation with his wife after seeing titles like "Quantum Physics for Babies" and "Neural Network for Babies." "She said, ‘What about Chess for Babies?’" he recalled. "I said, okay, I get the concept. Let me pitch it. And they loved it."
Rozman said his new book is heavily focused on the design to support a baby's developing vision and growing mind, unlike traditional children's chess books built around storytelling. "It’s really trying to help stimulate what visual capabilities a really small human being has," he said.
"It teaches them the basics of the game. There's also bonus content for parents who enjoy reading it to the baby and want to actually learn the game themselves," he said, adding: "And it's also chew-proof!"
"This comes from a review I received from a parent, that babies put everything in their mouths," Rozman said. "The material that it’s designed in is really tough, really firm. I don’t think the teeth or the gums are going to be able to break through it."
The release arrives at a time when prodigies keep getting younger and younger. Three-year-olds have earned FIDE ratings, eight-year-olds have defeated grandmasters, and 10-year-olds have become international masters. Exposure to chess begins even earlier than before.
Asked whether GMs Magnus Carlsen's and Hikaru Nakamura’s children might one day read the book, Rozman laughed. “Reader, I cannot promise,” he said. “But I’m happy to send a copy to Magnus or to Hikaru. Maybe they themselves will get a thing or two from the book.”
So when could we see a baby raised on Chess for Babies defeat their first Chess.com bot? "Let’s say two or three years old, why not?" Rozman said. "By the age of two or three, you can probably beat Martin, maybe with a tiny bit of assistance."
If you thought the book release was the only GothamChess headline of the day, think again. On March 3, ChessKid has also launched a brand-new bot, Little Gotham, inspired by baby Levy. It will be available on both iOS and Android. The only question now is: can you beat it?
Ahead of the March 3 release, GothamChess offered one final sales pitch: "If you’re a baby, if you have a baby, if you’re expecting a baby, know somebody who’s a baby — get the book," he said. "It’ll teach a baby, it’ll teach you, it’ll teach your friend. And unfortunately, you might start losing to more three-year-olds."
If you’re a baby, if you have a baby, if you’re expecting a baby, know somebody who’s a baby — get the book.
—Levy Rozman
