Subscribers
5.8M
2.1M vs last month
Total Views
1.2B
Videos
2.0K
avg 600.0K views
Channel Age
6yr
Since March 15, 2020
Channel Overview
Levy Rozman, known online as GothamChess, is the most-subscribed chess content creator on YouTube, with over 5.8 million subscribers and a catalog of content that has fundamentally reshaped how chess is consumed online. An International Master (IM) with a FIDE rating peak above 2400, Levy combines genuine tournament-level expertise with an extraordinary gift for explanation, humor, and entertainment that makes the ancient game feel electric and urgent.
GothamChess rose to internet prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic chess boom — the same cultural moment that produced the Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit" and saw chess.com and Lichess both experience historic traffic surges. Levy was perfectly positioned: he had been building his YouTube audience for years, developing a distinctive voice that was simultaneously educational and chaotic, measured and unhinged.
His content covers the full chess spectrum. Game analysis videos breaking down famous historical matches and elite tournament games are a cornerstone of the channel. "Guess the Elo" — a recurring series where Levy analyzes viewer-submitted games and attempts to guess the submitter's rating — became a viral format imitated across the chess internet. Opening theory, endgame technique, puzzle training, and live commentary of tournaments like the Candidates and World Chess Championship provide educational depth.
Levy has collaborated with every major figure in online chess: Hikaru Nakamura, Magnus Carlsen, Daniel Naroditsky, and numerous content creators. His appearances on mainstream podcast circuits and his 2023 book "How to Win at Chess" (a New York Times bestseller) have brought chess strategy to audiences far beyond the game's traditional base.
Beyond YouTube, Levy streams regularly on Twitch and is active across every major social platform. His presence has helped make chess one of the most unexpected success stories of 2020s internet culture, proving that intellectually demanding games, explained with the right energy, can captivate mass audiences.
Subscriber Growth
Monthly Views
Engagement Breakdown
- 600.0K
- Avg Views / Video
- 19.2K
- Avg Likes / Video
- 0.48%
- Sub / View Ratio
- 333
- Videos / Year
Recent Uploads
21:47Epic Challenge - I Built a Town for 100 People
- Views
- 148.0M
- Likes
- 3.4M
- Comments
- 280.0K
- Published
25:12$1 vs $1,000,000 Hotel Room
- Views
- 203.0M
- Likes
- 5.1M
- Comments
- 410.0K
- Published
32:04I Survived 100 Days in Antarctica
- Views
- 97.0M
- Likes
- 2.8M
- Comments
- 165.0K
- Published
15:33I Gave My 100 Million Subscriber Button Away
- Views
- 72.0M
- Likes
- 2.2M
- Comments
- 98.0K
- Published