Biography
Who is Levy Rozman?
Early life and chess beginnings
Levy Rozman was born on December 5, 1995, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were émigrés from Eastern Europe, and he grew up speaking Russian at home in New York and New Jersey. As an energetic child, his mother enrolled him in chess classes at the age of five to help him calm down. He entered his first tournament at seven and reached a FIDE rating of 2000 by February 2008.
After progress stalled for three years, he considered quitting before returning to the game consistently at age 15. In 2011, he earned the title of National Master through the US Chess Federation while studying statistics and quantitative modeling at Baruch College in Manhattan.
Chess career highlights
Levy Rozman committed heavily to competitive chess between 2016 and 2019. He earned the FIDE Master title in 2016 and became an International Master in 2018. During that same year, he reached his peak FIDE rating of 2421 and a US Chess rating of 2520.
Following physical and mental stress from a tournament in July 2022, he temporarily stepped away from competitive events. He announced his return to over-the-board chess in April 2024 to pursue the Grandmaster title. He also participated in the Naroditsky Memorial 2026, placing second in the Creator Invitational.
Rise as an online chess creator
Levy Rozman began streaming instructional chess videos and commentary on Twitch in May 2018. His online presence grew rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic and following the release of the television miniseries The Queen's Gambit. By October 2020, his Twitch channel surpassed 100,000 followers, and he eventually transitioned into a full-time streamer.
On YouTube, he built a big following and became the first chess channel to surpass one billion views. In November 2023, he was featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list within the games category. He also defeated over 225,000 players in an organised match on Chess.com in November 2025.
Writing and philanthropic projects
Levy Rozman authored the book How to Win at Chess: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners and Beyond, which was released in October 2023 and reached fourth on The New York Times Best Seller list. He published a follow-up guide for intermediate play in October 2026.
In October 2021, he launched the Levy Rozman Scholarship Fund to donate $100,000 to elementary, middle, and high school chess programs. Administered by ChessKid, the fund awards schools money to cover training costs, tournament fees, and travel expenses.
Birthday and age
Levy Rozman was born on December 5, 1995, which makes Levy 30 years old today. That birthday falls under the Sagittarius sign. Levy shares the date with 60 other famous people.
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