Why Chess Players Dislike GothamChess

GM Hans Niemann reveals why most top chess grand masters are not fans of Levy Rozman. #chess #clips #twitch

[@BongWatah]

To be fair, i wouldn't be watching this clip if it wasnt for Levy

[@neversecondary]

that's facts

[@jake44840]

Same 😂

[@feyzijafarov9526]

Probably that's the reason why this got recommended to me too😂

[@CookerSeven4]

100%

[@Zinericks]

Fr, levy got me into chess

[@CypherOzzie]

Levy has done more to promote Chess than FIDE has in all it's history - well done Levy

[@Gush27]

FIDE severely underestimated the effectiveness of annoying comedy and clickbait thumbnails

[@sereypanhanuth5788]

Thats cos FIDE appeals to chess talents and levy appeals to ur average brain rot tik tok teen

[@HeyWhySoSalty]

Say sike right now😂

[@Kira28720]

To 2 reasons for Levy's success Magnus content, The Roooooook.

[@Eng598]

True

[@GyroXxx]

Hikaru and Levy be like: should we buy this jet?🗿🍷

[@zxcqwe6931]

Magnus and Karpov: hold my checkmate

[@kibbit1373]

@@zxcqwe6931what? What on earth are you talking about ?

[@NoBatteriesLOL]

@@kibbit1373 lol Karpov is rumored to have half a billion

[@kibbit1373]

@@NoBatteriesLOL oh really? Just read about the oil thing that is crazy?

[@FemboysYes]

Jet company*

[@LimitBreakerID]

ngl I wouldn't even come close to chess if it wasn't for levy, he earned it

[@CanariasCanariass]

Same

[@fomori2]

That is because drama whores and morons dont normally get into chess, and that is the target audience of Levy's content.

[@Hummabubba]

Funny to watch this after Hans slandered the hell out of Levy on Twitter

[@gloworms]

Crazy, Hans usually avoids controversy

[@charlescrawford9972]

​@@glowormsabout as well as I avoided my dad's fists as a kid.

[@conornealon6702]

what did he say

[@derbarenschander7737]

Hans tweeted, that he likes Levy. So where does Hans slandered levy?

[@Hummabubba]

@@derbarenschander7737 Look at his second most recent Tweet

[@Magoooobly]

Pro-tip, being good at the game only pays the bills if you win. For everything else, there's personality.

[@Shrkx_]

Well said.

[@George-ej4ju]

It's kinda disturbing you can have better skill but if you're more entertaining you are more valuable to society. There in lies the problem of modernity.

[@really7046]

@@George-ej4ju being entertaining and sociable is also a skill. Levy simply provides more value to society than a random GM does, so he gets paid more.

[@professorx3060]

This is the right perspective ​@@really7046

[@user-rx1mb5fp7c]

@@George-ej4ju When it comes to entertainment (e.g. sports), skill is just one aspect of the entertainment for the viewer. Interestingly, the "problem of modernity" is that less entertaining people demand equal reward and pay to more entertaining people, just because they tried as hard.

[@odasletras]

Levy and Hikaru single-handedly brought chess to the relevant stat that it is in today

[@mattdyne]

Magnus has gotta be there too, I know he's more for the people who were already into it but he's still a big factor.

[@naira5878]

​@@mattdyne I mean if it wasn't for magnus half of levy click baits and thumbnail wouldn't exist

[@winrar42]

Agadmator

[@quibble9003]

yup, every story needs an avatar and a villain.

[@thinhtonguyen9576]

​@@mattdyne If you know chess, you know Magnus. He doesnt make people get into chess, but he makes chess more interesting like a fantasy world with a demon lord

[@TheHideousgamer]

Levy just took his love of chess from teaching kids in person onto KZbin and it paid off big time for him hats off to GothamChess

[@Raionhardt]

Levy never fails to make more money than GMs

[@h3lblad3]

Levy never fails to make more money from Magnus than Magnus does.

[@moistman3110]

Levy deserves it though. I can understand why GMs and super GMs would be irritated by an IM making so much more than they do, but many of us wouldn't be watching ir following chess without him. Also, he's grown the sport greatly, and that DOES in turn make them more money.

[@logik5549]

Mfs will dedicate there mental health and there teenage years just to make 30k a year 😪

[@noah-rn7ek]

I think its a little bit more😄

[@Congnhan.NailtoclabonthathcNGU]

At least learn to spell lil bro

[@SkullPrince8]

Their*

[@novicelifts5197]

Magnus made 1-2 M euro with every WCC win. He also owns a good part of equity of chess24 and his networth is estimated to be around 20M € (around 22-25M dollar). Also we don’t know if he invest in realestate or other buisness endeavors… levy himself said that magnus and hikaru are probably richer than him in the chess community.

[@Chris.4345]

@@novicelifts5197lol, what the best chess player in the world makes is not anywhere near indicative of what an average GM makes, let alone what a professional chess player makes

[@salvaquit8158]

We need a levy and Hans collab

[@KaelegoSoul]

Hans beads will go wild on that one

[@korusgamerbolt4431]

If levy still wants to be friends with Hikaru, Levy won't Collab with Hans Neiman 😂

[@nicbentulan]

​@@korusgamerbolt4431 Interesting. How serious is that? Like Hikaru would actually dissociate with people who collaborate with Hikaru's enemies?

[@korusgamerbolt4431]

@@nicbentulan I mean when Levy was starting as a KZbinr Hikaru had more sub, and Hikaru definitely helped levy a lot with collabs and stuff, now levy just has more subs, doesn't mean that levy will forget what Hikaru has done.

[@nicbentulan]

@@korusgamerbolt4431 Ah ok so it's serious if it's then but now it's just a joke?

[@parazightsporch2523]

Levy is a content creator, not a chess player. That's why he makes more money than Grandmasters. For the record, unless you're the champion, the pay isn't lucrative.

[@skkkr5815]

i agree with your sentiment but levy is definitely a chess player as well, which makes his content that much better. if he really wanted to he could become a GM with enough time, but to do so he’d have to slow down on content which really isn’t an option.

[@Storm_Bringer]

As Hikaru said "I'm a streamer first and a chess player second". Hikaru or Magnus are probably the richest, both super GMs

[@Naa-ee7nq]

the top ten make a lot of money, but not as much as Levy who's raking in those juicers with all that low brow clickbait and salacious content

[@Brayan_913]

W Levi's jeans

[@ky3518]

Levy is an icon, thats why wired asked him for chess support instead of anybody else

[@imissdetroit]

He’s also an IM. That isn’t nothing.

[@CalebTRBLX]

@@imissdetroit Are you an IM or higher?

[@rampaegg4592]

@@CalebTRBLX bro be saying this like he the next magnus carlsen

[@hshshshshshshs8831]

I could understand the hate if Levy was like 1500 elo who got into chese like 2-3 years ago and earned more than any grandmaster ever just by making goofy videos... but Levy is a 99.9999% ranked player in the world, a former child prodigy who regularly beats GMs and even defeated super GMs like Hikaru and Alireza.

[@gmebusiness437]

Levy has not comfortably beaten Hikaru on any level that Hikaru has not allowed for.

[@hshshshshshshs8831]

@@gmebusiness437 Hikaru actually lost a game to Levy in an "adoption match". Of course Hikaru went on to win 9 in a row but still. He defeated freaking Hikaru.

[@Tobyodd]

​@@gmebusiness437you're saying that as if Hikaru wouldn't destroy 99% of players with a blindfold on. Levy being able to overcome him once under any circumstances is quite the feat

[@travisbrown9936]

@@gmebusiness437he beat Alireza recently, obviously the top players are much better then him but Levy is still a really good chess player

[@umariqbal7557]

@@gmebusiness437 He would still beat more than billions of people comfortably.

[@alexandrodiova8386]

Levy has put more time ask effort to be in the place that he is, he might not be a grand master. But he is an IM and maybe for GM that doesn't mean much but for the average population that is a title no one will ever see next to their name. He is a charismatic dude, and funny guy, he is entertaining and he brings so many refreshing type of videos for audience from any elo watch. Guess the elo, grandmaster games, the news or the chess world, even grand master like you that are not really that known people get to know you more because of Levy. And when he explains things have you notice that he does it in one take? That makes him look genuine and also its fun to watch because he explains everything in detail that any level chess players can understand. And he knew how to obtain the full potential of KZbin he learned the algorithm he learn about the titles the thumbnails and the way too keep more audience. So Levy is doing things very well and he being as successful as he is is very well deserved.

[@Prisoner62595]

Who watching after levy beat Hans

[@pjacefilms]

YUP

[@BIGMIKE20111]

On my mom I have bought some of levy’s courses to see what they are about and his courses help me more than Chessable ever did

[@michaelnugent707]

did you get the book?

[@Ahad-bj1cz]

@@michaelnugent707the book is pointless for anyone over 1200 which just takes a couple of months of dedicated practice.

[@davidjohnson3649]

Levy got me into chess 2 years ago

[@ElChapoZXIII]

Levy’s content is superb he deserves everything

[@johanjohannesson4746]

Its actually really, really bad with crap, swallow analysis, click bait and random gossip.

[@themuffinloverphysicist]

You do realise there are opinions, right? Not to mention Levy explains things in a perfect way. Clickbait, but in a good way and it always delivers. At least Levy isn’t sitting with an image ruined and hating on people like Hans.

[@boniface494]

Levy has a product that these super GMs don't have and it's not chess. That's why he gets paid and they don't

[@richardhunter132]

true: he stares at a camera with a stupid expression whilst reporting the games that other people have played

[@boniface494]

@@richardhunter132 not quite. If you get over yourself & the urge to put other people's efforts down, you might just get it. Rome wasn't built in a day, while some were building it, others were trying hard to tare it down. I choose to be a builder

[@richardhunter132]

what have you built then?@@boniface494

[@mattparkin7224]

​@@richardhunter132do you ever consider that your spite for a guy on the internet is actually clouding your perception and stopping you from realising that he makes money because people enjoy his content?

[@matthewlonnon5662]

It’s silly to hate him when he’s making the game more mainstream. Good portions of his audience would never watch official broadcasts of a chess tournament.

[@Itachihun14]

Also if they so jealous they can start creating content too. In fact it would be great as people might start notice other gms than Magnus and Hikaru

[@xHannibal]

Why would people want the game to be more mainstream?

[@mmmmmmkatata]

I mean, envy and jealousy can pretty much bring hate even to the best person in the entire world.

[@SoullessPolack]

​@@xHannibalBecause it's be easier to come across people to play chess with in real life. I have one friend that plays. 99.99% of my games are online against people I don't know.

[@mungus42069]

​@@xHannibal so it wouldn't die?

[@agardragon6979]

Damn he understand Morse codes from his beads now?

[@yevhen.nahirniak]

Let the money speak for itself

[@Jungleali]

Why is the title “why chess players dislike Gotham chess” that’s false, maybe some 20-40% don’t really like him but a lot definitely likes him, he is a chess star lol

[@MrMagnaniman]

Most of the old guys hate him. Kramnik, for instance, demonstrated his envy, despite Levy being WAAAAY more open to Kramnik's nonsense than he should have been.

[@whereta3097]

​@@MrMagnanimanbecause kramnik is an old fart who would rather gatekeep chess

[@quaesitorluminis2846]

Levy has brought a ton of new people to the chess world as well.

[@nickharbor2987]

And the guy deserves every penny, nuff said

[@DimDogD]

levy's role in the chess boom cant be understated.. not that netflix didnt have its role too

[@sickofseeingjustsomeguywit8168]

Being a KZbin and a entertainer is a special skill. Chess is the medium but Levy is one hell of an entertaining guy to watch. He is a successful youtuber.

[@Dedprotectr]

I mean it makes sense, most chess players at an insane high level like that spend the majority of their lives just memorizing chess positions and studying games, so they dont have any sort of prowess for things like entertainment or education. Levy isn't as good at chess, but he has that desire to entertain and educate, and he isn't getting money because he just sits there and recites a line or why the other guy blundered.

[@MrMagnaniman]

There are GMs that are quite entertaining and do very well as content creators. But, it is definitely true that content creation and chess ability are two entirely different skills.

[@Dedprotectr]

@@MrMagnaniman that's probably true, but exceptions dont make the rule. Like, Hikaru is entertaining, and back when I was watching him regularly it seemed like he was able to use his inability to get a joke that wasn't about chess as a way to entertain people, so he definitely has the ability to be an entertainer and a GM. But it's understandable that for the majority of GMs, the sheer focus they put on chess sacrifices learning content creation. GMs really don't have the right to complain about Levy, Levy is able to script his videos, edit thumbnails, and make interesting commentary, and not just stare deadpan into a camera and say "thats a bad move because you lose your knight"

[@MrMagnaniman]

@@Dedprotectr There's a generational divide on this, I think. Younger GMs spend a lot more time online than the older GMs did at their age. I think a good analogy here is sportscasting (ultimately, that's what this is). Most of the best sportscasters are former competitors, because their involvement with the sport gives them insight that non-competitors simply don't have. But, beyond simply having that experience, skill level in the game really isn't important. That's Levy. Good enough and experienced enough to understand the nuances of the game and the players, but excellent at many of the other skills related to being a sportscaster.

[@jonesy77777]

Makes sense. He is getting paid for being a media personality not a chess player.

[@Andha1]

It's impressive how often he says "like"

[@laggichi8632]

"Hans Neiman plays like a machine"

[@darylbrown6739]

I remember being Levy's 10,000 subscriber, anyone with half a brain and a love of chess knew they'd found their man.

[@cesarianbag]

Levy is an ambassador for he game. He promotes the hell out of chess. His KZbin channel is also super popular and his content is great. To top it off he’s great at chess. I’m gonna use his channel to help with my children the more they get into the game.

[@balazsio]

The only question is that why people hate those who earn more than them

[@cupmallows]

Levy got chess more popular from his crazy funny reactions, his active chess streams/vids and engages well with chats, makes chess easier to understand and knows how to articulate chess knowledge at all levels.

[@amyx231]

I’m getting back into chess cause his Shorts infected my YT home page 😂

[@tetsero]

He won't ever be able to be jealous because he's not a gm

[@jeffreyswartz9568]

Come to Llobregat again. And Sitges. I know the money isn't great but we treated you well.

[@pierremorena4307]

Oh, the cheater's coming back

[@rahulpanda5699]

That guy has revived chess

[@FutureAbe]

Meanwhile, everyone in the world is talking about how Hans will DEFINITELY kill someone in the future. Like, he is 100% death row material.

[@sergefoppossi3333]

Levy deserves it, I got into chess because of him. It's funny how one man can do a lot by himself for the game while there is a federation around I would have never heard of if wasn't for Levy.

[@queenbrynja]

I think the richest chess player in the world is Anatoly Karpov, but this is just conjecture.

[@michaeloyesiku]

True talk Honestly, i did not know who Hans was till he lost a game to Levy💀

[@seanslaysean7097]

Entertainment wins, it doesn’t matter if you shatter a record if I’m too bored to care

[@brekkoh]

turns out its better to be a pretty good business man and a good chess player, than it is to be just an elite chess player

[@shiva-ji-777]

He is not the richest Hikaru is(in CHESS)

[@seekerscovereal]

Entertainment with skill is more valued than intellect

[@Patralgan]

It's one thing to be jealous, but it doesn't necessarily mean they dislike him. And why would they? He does a good job and makes chess more popular, it's a win for all chess players

[@bruce000000070000000]

Yeah Levy is a charismatic guy that can articulate their thoughts wonderfully, something most chess players lack. It sucks that some of them struggle but you guys just aren’t marketable, people want a personality

[@zacharykasznel7314]

Levi is legit why I'm so into chess, he makes it fun

[@julianbartram2222]

Levy is a communicator.

[@ThorfinnBus]

Its fine if GM think that way. Cuz he helped a lot of people across the world which dont really benefit them maybe. It doesnt mean fans and those who got help will also dislike him unlike you who both GM and fans hate.

[@farouqbaiti4315]

Just because he's not the best chess player,doesn't mean that he should be hated. He's trying his best.

[@thaxbest2180]

Levy most definitely deserves it, as does Eric Rosen

[@PwndNewbie]

The credit is all due to KZbin actually paying a fair rate to their content creators.

[@choreomaniac]

Look at coaches and commentators of pro sports. It’s usually not the Hall of Fame players who are the best coaches and commentators but the role players and bench warmers. They can communicate and know how important hard work is. A super GM has a hard time understanding a 500-1500 chess player but Levy doesn’t.

[@james3040]

Hans once said "chess speaks for itself" so does Hans 😂

[@isaaclitchfield9575]

Levy uploads constantly, he is a KZbinr and his category is chess

[@brentgroen3204]

*angry vibrations*

[@ignacypaderewski2685]

Hans describing the superstar (winner takes all) economy.

[@NbNgMOD]

Garry kasparov exited the chat when making this

[@devinstef]

I only learned how to play chess because of levy. Thanks to levy’s endgame tutorials I’m proud to say i hit 350 elo

[@altamashkhan3461]

Levy had this secret plan till he realised he isn't gonna become a grandmaster - Nans Heimann

[@7rgrov198]

Magnus is richer. Hes won so much and has crazy sponsors

[@Bobbing4Fries]

Levy: Professional Entertainer with Chess Knowledge Jelly GMs: not entertaining AT ALL with ALL the chess knowledge

[@nosir1479]

Levy makes Chess fun and does a phenomenal job promoting it. If any Chess player deserves to be the richest, it’s him.

[@mmmmmmkatata]

Basically the same tale as old as time of hating a good person just because of envy.

[@Biskawow]

I liked how Levy didn't jump on "Hans cheating" bandwagon when Magnus lost that game and threw a sissy fit

[@marianoyalour]

Good thing nothing stops those top players from trying to do what Levy does.

[@thomasprovitt1806]

The Competitive Fighting Game Community has/had a similar issue.

[@nerdsunscripted624]

He makes the most out of any chess player *except for magnus and Hikaru* Hikaru also has a very successful KZbin channel on top of winning many of the chess tournaments

[@TheLfamily24]

He does but like I’m convinced all these people that go to YT headquarters and eat lunch with the CEO videos are boosted. KZbin has to have these “channels” and inflate numbers so they can sell advertising for astronomical and growing amounts. Levy is a stepping stone

[@gig106]

Levi is the reason many people start chess

[@AlphaSeagull]

I mean, at the end of the day it doesn't matter how skilled you are if nobody wants to watch your channel. It's a cruel reality but it's the truth. Guys like Levy have the chess skill to draw in people who wanna see impressive plays AND the teaching ability for people who want to learn AND the journalism skills to report on current chess-related events in an entertaining manner AND the personality for people of all skill levels to find him entertaining as a whole. He's drawing in 4 demographics while most chess content creators only pull one of them. It's no wonder he's making more money, he's basically got it all in terms of chess content. I wouldn't even say it's a stretch to think he's one of the bigger reasons chess streaming is a viable career in the first place right now just because he's brought THAT much online popularity into the sport

[@lampsforgranted439]

Yeah tbh levy deserves it he’s the only reason a bunch of people got into chess and brought more eyes to other players as we

[@anupkhanal3968]

Isn’t Hans included in the super gms that are jealous column too?

[@gorjosfam]

I’ve got to say that Levy piqued my interest in chess. Dudes a good teacher, has genuine passion for what he does. I hope he makes it to GM one day.

[@freeboi99]

Hikaru shows us how amazing chess can be Levy makes chess feel alive

[@rickrick5041]

What does Levy make and what does Nieman make?

[@user-tc6rw4hp6s]

This is what I hate about money... Makes even such a nice person as Levy being hated.

[@Tight2008]

Hans. You have very interesting content on your videos. Definitely worth checking out.

[@biggumsyeetus9690]

It’s time for streaming service to colander its Fide and other chess tournaments to improve pay for players and sponsors for the companies

[@ankitjeezy]

I mean I never watched Levy Rozman, and until 2 days ago, I didn't even know he's the same guy in GothamChess, that's also because of Magnus x Levy thing.

[@nickbryant6970]

Levy is an incredible chess player. But what he did that was even more incredible is capitalize the chess boom and made myself get into chess by watching his content. Even bought his book

[@knazni]

The new haircut is lit!

[@davidoconnor1773]

Is Levy richer than most GMs? Unquestionably Is Levy the richest chess player? Definitely not! Its a provocative statement, but its pretty easy to quantify that there are several GMs past and present who have made significantly more money than him

[@prometheus8073]

Levy probably makes more than 99.5% of current GMs, considering there are about 1800 GMs.

[@BobChess]

Some GMs just a little bit too confident.

[@atiqrehaan2315]

Levy got me into chess

[@geraltofrivia9424]

To be fair, it's obviously not just about being good at chess. It's about the fun personality and pedagogy of the dude himself. Totally different set of skills.

[@Carlesmansen]

If it wasnt for “THE ROOOOOK”

[@muchograndeyolatengo]

Levy is not for everyone. People just have to come to terms with that. I think that he's primarily targeting the younger generation. Personally I don't think that I could manage watching a lot of his videos. And that's completely fine. And so is if the GMs of the older generation feel the same way. The videos are not for them. It's not fine if they are just generally shitting on him (we don't know, we weren't there). He's done a lot for the new generation. My young nephew has become obsessed with chess because of Levy and I'm really grateful for that. Now we have even more to bond over.

[@mattparkin7224]

From reading these comments... do GMs not understand that he's not just a chess player, he's a content creator? Two very different but, in his case, linked concepts.

[@alex47775]

Levy richest chess player?. Hikaru estimated net worth at 50 mil. Magnus estimated net worth also at 50 mil. Levy estimated net worth is at best 7 mil. What the hell is Hans talking?

[@kylen6430]

It was rhetorical hyperbole

[@siema14123]

Hes one of the richest chess players despite not being even close to the best players

[@mungus42069]

Hikaru is a streamer, magnus is the world champ, can't expect an average gm to make that much money

[@gmblunder8195]

He may not like Levy but he sure does respect his contribution to chess. G!

[@dominichutchison1322]

Levy got me into chess it wasnt any local GM's thats fo sho

[@luizfelipemedeiros7506]

How much do you guys think Levy makes a year from KZbin and sponsors/advertisment?