Rozman Defeats GM At Spilimbergo Open, Addresses Misogyny In Chess

IM Levy Rozman, also known as "GothamChess," has taken another step towards the GM title after playing in the Spilimbergo Open and scoring 6/9. While Rozman's 2370 rating performance saw him break even in terms of points, a win over GM Alberto David in the final round is a promising sign that Rozman is capable of reaching new heights.

The winner of the event was GM-elect Mahdi Gholami Orimi, who managed to edge out GM Marcin Tazbir and IM Kundu Kaustuv on tiebreaks despite not playing in the first round. For his efforts, Gholami will receive a €1,500 first prize along with 11 rating points.

I finished my tournament in Italy with a huge win over the legendary Grandmaster Alberto David, 2507 elo.

It was a tough tournament but I am so happy to end it on such a high note.

I've now defeated 3 GMs in my comeback to competitive chess.

I'm so happy.

— GothamChess (@GothamChess) August 15, 2024

For much of chess' history, the only way to follow top-flight tournaments was to get a copy of a newspaper's chess column or wait for the publishing of the latest Chess Informant to look over the games. As far as direct access to players and personalities was concerned, this was limited to organizers and journalists. Suffice it to say, the experience for chess fans has become infinitely more immersive.

Rozman has been one of the trailblazers in terms of providing this immersion and with over five million YouTube subscribers, his participation in any tournament becomes an instant spectacle. For the Spilimbergo Open, viewers were able to follow Rozman's performance via live YouTube broadcasts hosted by his coach, GM Arturs Neiksans, and then see Rozman's opinion on his games in retrospective recaps.

Adding to the viewer experience, GM Hikaru Nakamura also produced recaps featuring Rozman's games (in a bygone era it was unheard of to see the world number-two commentating on an IM's games). 

Rozman opened proceedings with a 17-move miniature against Giulio Simoni and started the event with a solid 3.5/5, but his most esthetic highlight occurred in round seven when he sacrificed his queen against Albanian CM Klendi Zeneli.

The pinnacle of Rozman's tournament was his final-round game against the Luxembourgish-Italian GM David. After punishing David for playing the rare, hypermodern English Defense, Rozman bulldozed his opponent's kingside and uncorked a brilliant knight sacrifice that won on the spot.

Following the game, Rozman posted a recap where he excitedly gave a play-by-play of the game, including an anecdote about accidentally knocking over pieces with a pen (27:15). Rozman also sent out a powerful message regarding his journey to GM in his final YouTube recap, announcing: "I have no intention of stopping."

Rozman Addresses Viewer Misogyny 

Unfortunately, an online incident earlier in the tournament precipitated an announcement by Rozman, who had to speak out against misogyny that was occurring on stream during his round-four pairing with FM Liwia Jarocka.

In a recap titled "I'm done with this" Rozman made a statement condemning the unspecified comments: "There was a fundamental lack of respect for my opponent, for me, for the game of chess, and so on" and went on to cite this behavior as "the reason that more women do not play chess."

As the foremost personality in online chess and a staunch defender of equality in chess, Rozman's words should be heeded by offenders: "The way you behave reflects poorly on this channel and the chess community as a whole, so stop."