This is Part 1 of 3 of my chess tournament that I won in Toronto in April 2024. Parts 2 and 3 coming soon, stay tuned. It inspired me to start back the Road to GM series. BONUS videos and FULL GAME REVIEW on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/gothamchessofficial
First game was pretty impressive the 1400 didn't blunder anything in the first set of moves. Not just based on elo, but nerves facing you must have been high
He played well, but he didn't see the positional idea of clamping the queenside, very common theme against hangging pawns strucutre, but i think not even 1800s would be aware of that, he did play a bit above his level for a while
Since you started to push yourself to be a gm, I started to push my self to learn lead guitar. I been playing for 12 years but it's a skill I never really picked up till now and you really inspired me to push myself. Thanks man.
Thank you so much for coming to my chess club I co-founded! Sadly I wasn’t around to see you 😁 Please come back anytime, we loved having you ❤ - Pub Chess Toronto team
@@KenyGreyThe self depracation and trolling is the annoying part to me. Theres no shame in trying and losing to Levy, but I'm not particularly interested in watching someone that's clearly given up on a match. Im just some rando on the internet but you seem like a cool dude and a good player. Play it out and try even when you start to struggle. I think you'll get more out of it.
@@MrChessboxing you have 5 minutes with THE Gotham Chess, do you 1. play a game of no consequence in silence, or 2. play some chess and also make conversation with one of your chess heroes?
Your videos are actually so helpful. I just won a game because I remembered one thing you said in video from 2021. It was a position where oponents bishop goes on H6, you capture with pawn, oponent takes pawn with queen. Pretty common tactics, but you said this is bad if you can kick the queen with a bishop. And that is exactly what I did. Thanks to you I enjoy chess way more than when I started. Thank you
tbf the position for white is so so nice that you kind of don't care. I know the engine gives only small advantage, but the bind on the queenside just feels like everything under control. Hard to play for black
Absolutely love watching footage of you playing OTB. When you play your next tournament it would be dope if you got someone to commentate your game live like the Boetz sisters did recently.
Can we get a clock for the next videos? It'd be interesting to see the time constraints!! Either way, congrats and I'm looking forward to the rest of the matches!
Congratz on your win!!! I literally just competed in a high school beginner chess tournament yesterday and came in third place. Got 5 wins and lost once only to the champion. Looking forward to getting my CFC rating next week.
This is super wholesome and i love it. I imagine the next two parts might not be as wholesome and might be a little more cutthroat as your opponents get deeper into the tournament and start feeling like they have winning chances .
Pretty nice to see that winning these casual blitz games in a bar was part of the motivation and confidence for trying to get back on the GM grind again. I remember sometime ago after you stopped playing tournaments in 2022 reading someone saying that maybe in a few years if you played some casual games like blitz and won some informal tournaments then you'd get some confidence back and enjoy the game more, and indeed looks like that's happened. In just about 2 years too
jumped out of my seat when you said it was hosted at the Maddy. literally been there hundreds of times. that place is lit for partying, never thought it could be a Chess venue lol
Lyrics: I realized when I'm in a comfortable setting And I'm not feeling the anxiety or the nerves of competition I AM A DEMON That night I played 20 Games, and I went 20 And 0 Enjoy episode 1 of my little trip to Toronto At the madison avenue pub tournament Here we GO!
I can only imagine how terrifying it would be to go to a tournament looking for some good games and just see Levy just sit down across from you. I'd be struck with a sense of awe and then fear as I know I'm about to get utterly crushed.
We had no idea he was at the club, imagine my surprise when walking in and seeing Levy Rozman! And then to be paired with him in the tournament was insane.
Levy: I won all games at a turnament Me: Wow your back! Maybe we were wrong and he will manage to become a GM after all. Also Levy: plays against 1400s
I think I was a little lost in the first game, once the trading was over. I'm not sure how to find the right ideas when it's so placid. But overall I had the same general ideas as levy, so I'm alright I think.
Levy i am 10 and i just reached 1600 with a game at 97% accuracy. thank you for teaching me the openings i still use today and teaching me everything i know about the game.
I love your channel, I haven't played chess since I was about 12ish, 30 years ago, but I got from ~800 rapid to ~1300 by watching your content and a few chessly visits. I now play almost daily, but I am to lazy to really apply myself to climb further. Anyway, I follow all you post for about three year now. This last video is one of my all time favorites! I hope you'll get the GM title you deserve. Thank you!
I don't often see reti gambit in the french defense opening, seems like it paid off, well played. Edit : I was short enough to not be that important but still.
Love the format of this video. I like watching you playing and talking with your opponents fairly casually. Much better than the chess hustler videos where people are just trying to diss each other. This felt cozy
GM or no GM, this guy is the best chess player in my opinion, He teaches everything to us, he spreads his knowledge to all of us, and makes our chess skills better, making chess much more competitive in the near future.
There were players rated above 2000. He didn't lose or draw a single game against any of them... The top rated player there was the same ranking as Gotham...
00:02 Winner of a chess tournament with a perfect score. 01:19 Discussion on a potential rook sacrifice during a chess game 08:43 Close game in the middle, need to play faster 10:22 Casual conversation during tournament 11:55 Facing challenges in a chess game 13:34 Overcoming self-doubt and avoiding checks strategically. 15:00 Chess game strategy and sacrifices 16:12 Unexpected chess moves and rule-breaking Crafted by Merlin AI.
"I am a demon" - just started watching but it makes me so happy to hear Gotham speak with such confidence. You are a quite fine, even spectacular, chess player. Comparing yourself to Magnus and Hikaru always felt like you were unfairly beating yourself up :). Look forward to this series!
Loved your content for about a year. It got me back into (just the edges) of chess. Going over to patreon now. You obviously know this or you wouldn't have started down the path but -- you got this.
Huge fan of this video. Love the style and seeing you playing out in the world. Absolutely cannot wait for the next two and congratulations on your result!
Congrats!! Always feels good to win a tourney regardless of the setup and level. I was in Montreal a few years back and really loved these meetups. I went to a pub where they had chess and backgammon tournaments every week.
Hey Gotham, I’ve been in a bad place the past half year but your journey has inspired me to start a journey of my own I genuinely like to watch your videos, and find your personality funny and cool. Stay awesome
Wow what a really good day... Levy winning a tournament after two years that he didn't play.. Good job! And Czechs winning ice hockey championship after 14 years. For me as a Czech seems unreal.
This is Part 1 of 3 of my chess tournament that I won in Toronto in April 2024. Parts 2 and 3 coming soon, stay tuned.
It inspired me to start back the Road to GM series.
BONUS videos and FULL GAME REVIEW on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/gothamchessofficial
Ey that's cool!
Well done bro! Keep it up💪🏽
Pin of? Pin of greatness
I want pin of shame look at my comment loser
Pin of shame :D (jk)
Levy´s run was so good Kramnik started doing "The Procedure"
“Lets do the procedure” - Kramnik’s hands
In Russia, the procedure does kramnik.
kramnik's statisticians are on high alert right now
Kramnik by now, IS the procedure
Kramnik comedically puts on a pair of surgical gloves
First game was pretty impressive the 1400 didn't blunder anything in the first set of moves. Not just based on elo, but nerves facing you must have been high
Not just levy, but the camera looking at him all the time. Respect for the nerves on that guy.
He played well, but he didn't see the positional idea of clamping the queenside, very common theme against hangging pawns strucutre, but i think not even 1800s would be aware of that, he did play a bit above his level for a while
Oh boy oh boy, oh boy. Y’all smoothies
@@Chessdummy triple digit elo comment
@@MatsMatsuocan you elaborate more on this im a 1200 rapid scrub
Putting the drink at the edge of the table made me so nervous
Spilled Drink Gambit
Lol was thinking the same on First game when it was between both of the clocks.
Since you started to push yourself to be a gm, I started to push my self to learn lead guitar. I been playing for 12 years but it's a skill I never really picked up till now and you really inspired me to push myself. Thanks man.
Keep it up legend.
Good luck. Incredible skill to learn.
It’s not that hard once you just start having fun! Play things at your level that sound cool and slowly get better at them. Good luck👍👍
I thought you were roasting Levy with the 12 year part till I read fully 😂
What a legend👏beautiful instrument
Good job Levy, we’re all proud of you. Now do it with a blindfold.
His name is not magnesium Charleston
No, but it is Lebistlon, rook sacrifistion@@nacht3675
Bobby Fischer 💀
With his hands tied and no glasses. While driving
@@nacht3675 Cagnus.
Thank you so much for coming to my chess club I co-founded! Sadly I wasn’t around to see you 😁
Please come back anytime, we loved having you ❤
- Pub Chess Toronto team
Nice
The second opponent was so wholesome and so annoying at the same time but props to him for playing on.
hahaha i may never have the opportunity to play him again, had to play on and troll a little. I should have resigned before move 1 to be fair.
@@KenyGrey how do we know you're the same player as in the vid🤔?
@@Kira28720 i thought the internet was good at those things
@@KenyGreyThe self depracation and trolling is the annoying part to me. Theres no shame in trying and losing to Levy, but I'm not particularly interested in watching someone that's clearly given up on a match.
Im just some rando on the internet but you seem like a cool dude and a good player. Play it out and try even when you start to struggle. I think you'll get more out of it.
@@MrChessboxing you have 5 minutes with THE Gotham Chess, do you 1. play a game of no consequence in silence, or 2. play some chess and also make conversation with one of your chess heroes?
20-0 Is genuinely just fucking incredible, Congratulations Levy!!!! 🎉
Not when you’re playing people a 1,000 les elo then you
@@PackIsBack32 still not even a draw is quite good
@@PackIsBack32your a ray of sunshine are you grow up
Bruh he is playing against viewers basically. I wouldnt even have commented but why introduce the vid like he did wut. Hes not gonna gm.
@@PackIsBack32 bro literally shut up
Lol the ending
“I’m the greatest guess the ELO player of all time!”
“No wehhhh”
Love the casual environment for the tournament! More events should be done in a place where you can play and order drinks simultaneously!
As a Brit I would crush at drinking, not so much the chess though 😔
HUGE!! 🙌
Ermmm??
Chess
W
Here before this before this becomes popular
Levy said "I'm the best GTE OF all time".
The girl: "No way!!"😂😂😂
what does it mean?
"guess the ELO"@@trofffe596
@@trofffe596 It means she has no clue that Levy's the only GTE player of all time.
Your videos are actually so helpful. I just won a game because I remembered one thing you said in video from 2021. It was a position where oponents bishop goes on H6, you capture with pawn, oponent takes pawn with queen. Pretty common tactics, but you said this is bad if you can kick the queen with a bishop. And that is exactly what I did. Thanks to you I enjoy chess way more than when I started. Thank you
This was a really great video format. Fun to see you out and about in the world.
Great to see you putting yourself out there again Levy! Looking forward to more content like this.
6:56 first guy touches queen, moves rook... Levy don't care he just win
Touch move is a dumb rule anyway
@@kza6648Doesn’t stop people from calling you out on it unfortunately
tbf the position for white is so so nice that you kind of don't care. I know the engine gives only small advantage, but the bind on the queenside just feels like everything under control. Hard to play for black
@@kza6648probably there to prevent swindlers. at high level it is pretty stupid tho.
right - saw that too
The first upload which didn't have 999,999 exclamation marks
Edit: nvm he added them back 😞
wtf is an explanation mark
edit: original commenter put "explanation" instead of "exclamation"
exclamation marks 🤓☝️
@@Jrush2000 Those are those blue things you always see in Magnus Carlston games 😂
@@Jrush2000 Uh, let me tell you... -- Mark
@@skuitarist the guy edited the original comment from "explanation" to "exclamation" fyi
Absolutely love watching footage of you playing OTB. When you play your next tournament it would be dope if you got someone to commentate your game live like the Boetz sisters did recently.
Congratulations, sincerely. Well done. Onwards and upwards. Really rooting for you.
Great job, Levi. Very excited for the coming content. You have inspired me to look for local tournaments. Love from Texas.
Can we get a clock for the next videos? It'd be interesting to see the time constraints!! Either way, congrats and I'm looking forward to the rest of the matches!
Congratz on your win!!! I literally just competed in a high school beginner chess tournament yesterday and came in third place. Got 5 wins and lost once only to the champion. Looking forward to getting my CFC rating next week.
Congrats Levi! Rooting for you bro. GM is in reach my guy.
This GM series has made me start watching again, keep it bruh
This is super wholesome and i love it. I imagine the next two parts might not be as wholesome and might be a little more cutthroat as your opponents get deeper into the tournament and start feeling like they have winning chances .
Don’t count since u didn’t sacrifice The ROOK !
Don't count since he is not a GM
“AND HE SACRIFICES THE ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK”
@@no_name4796are you a gm? It’s not easy to do it.
Trust me, you guys are not funny :)
his opponent did!
Pretty nice to see that winning these casual blitz games in a bar was part of the motivation and confidence for trying to get back on the GM grind again. I remember sometime ago after you stopped playing tournaments in 2022 reading someone saying that maybe in a few years if you played some casual games like blitz and won some informal tournaments then you'd get some confidence back and enjoy the game more, and indeed looks like that's happened. In just about 2 years too
17:08 "I'm also the greatest Guess the Elo player of all time"
"No way..."
Levy really got that rizz
jumped out of my seat when you said it was hosted at the Maddy. literally been there hundreds of times. that place is lit for partying, never thought it could be a Chess venue lol
Levy never fails to milk himself
He's letting magnesium Charleston recharge so remilk him later
☠
Come on he won a pub blitz tournament against amateur players. Who would not think they will become a GM after that 🤦♂
why wouldn't he? it feels good
@@real_lol_ok88 Pause 💀
Lyrics:
I realized when I'm in a comfortable setting
And I'm not feeling the anxiety or the nerves of competition
I AM A DEMON
That night I played 20
Games, and I went 20
And 0
Enjoy episode 1 of my little trip to Toronto
At the madison avenue pub tournament
Here we GO!
Good job Levy! We’re very proud of you!
I can only imagine how terrifying it would be to go to a tournament looking for some good games and just see Levy just sit down across from you. I'd be struck with a sense of awe and then fear as I know I'm about to get utterly crushed.
We had no idea he was at the club, imagine my surprise when walking in and seeing Levy Rozman! And then to be paired with him in the tournament was insane.
The most unreal feeling 😂
So levy played budget MVL. Impressive
That first 1400 looked a lot better than 1400 in the middle game, just a bit of nerves at the end on low time
CONGRATS LEVY. To many more wins!
Dood the way he calls himself a demon is so refreshing, love the self confidence and it just gets me so hyped up for him
I would like narration over this games, like Anna Cramling do
I don't think Levi's mom is a famous GM
I think he's reserving that for patreon content, if I'm not mistaken
Do you prefer the banter between two talkative people playing, or do you prefer voiceover analysis?
Hybrid. Explain textual in voiceover and strategic in analysis
@@GothamChessvoice over analysis would be nice. Your thoughts as it progress. Muting when there is banter.
idk why but i like the informal “bar” setup with everybody talking over everybody randomly. Very cozy ❤
Levy: I won all games at a turnament
Me: Wow your back! Maybe we were wrong and he will manage to become a GM after all.
Also Levy: plays against 1400s
Early candidate for pin of shame
@@jakerydont No, he just said facts.
Maby it benefits his confidence
@@jakerydont man be out here glazing
@@gredax true
Levy can be cured from anxiety but watching his glass so close to the edge of the table and his elbow definitely made me develop anxiety
Great job! Just another day without milking Magnus!
Gotta let me magnesium Charleston recharge so levy can remilk him again
nah, he mentioned magnus at some point
He will inevitably relapse
I think I was a little lost in the first game, once the trading was over. I'm not sure how to find the right ideas when it's so placid. But overall I had the same general ideas as levy, so I'm alright I think.
Meow button -------------->
Meow
Meow
Meow
Meow :3
Meow ?
"Alright let's see these endgame skills."
"Oh no, there is none, I just wanna say that I got there and then people can infer." 😂
Levy i am 10 and i just reached 1600 with a game at 97% accuracy. thank you for teaching me the openings i still use today and teaching me everything i know about the game.
That's fun when your opponnent touch piece but moves another one. (that's illegal in chess tournaments)
Levy playing a bunch of drunks in a pub priming himself to be a GM. 😂
your comment is a perfect "tell me you are bellow 800 elo without saying you are bellow 800 elo"
I love your channel, I haven't played chess since I was about 12ish, 30 years ago, but I got from ~800 rapid to ~1300 by watching your content and a few chessly visits. I now play almost daily, but I am to lazy to really apply myself to climb further. Anyway, I follow all you post for about three year now. This last video is one of my all time favorites! I hope you'll get the GM title you deserve. Thank you!
I don't often see reti gambit in the french defense opening, seems like it paid off, well played.
Edit : I was short enough to not be that important but still.
IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU LEVY YOU DESERVE IT!!
Congrats🎉
Love the format of this video. I like watching you playing and talking with your opponents fairly casually. Much better than the chess hustler videos where people are just trying to diss each other. This felt cozy
bro really lined up a bunch of 1500s and clapped their asses
"My opponents were 1400, 1700, 2000, 2200, and 2500." I wouldn't say that is lining up 1500s...
GM or no GM, this guy is the best chess player in my opinion, He teaches everything to us, he spreads his knowledge to all of us, and makes our chess skills better, making chess much more competitive in the near future.
Bro did some noob stomping and got fully gassed, like me going up against bronze players in league and thinking I'm faker
bronze players are not equal to 1700 players lmao
League player detected, opinion devalued.
i love noob stomping
@@db5094 they never said they are. He said a bronze player for him is like a 1400 and 1700 to levy
my greatest congratulations Levy! amazing dedication to your sport, We stand by you and eagerly await any news from you!
Imagine beating a 1400 elo player as an international master and making a video about it for 5 million people
Who cares? Makes for a fun vid
He joined a tournament and runs a chess channel on youtube. Why would he not upload this?
His opponents are harder each match. He has multiple over 2k
He wasnt a dick about beating him also you gotta start lower in a tournament
The setting and ambience is so chill im loving it
Wow bro you beat unrated players on some cheap roll up chess mats in a pub ! Definitely a grandmaster in the making
😂
What did you achieve in life? My little man child, lol.
There were players rated above 2000. He didn't lose or draw a single game against any of them... The top rated player there was the same ranking as Gotham...
As a Toronto native, the Madison is a great pub and everyone should go there.
19 seconds, no views bro fell off
This might be one of my favorite videos of Levy. That tournament looks like it would have been a blast.
Levy's on fire. He looks super relaxed and confident 👊 And that pub looks awesome.
The second guy was so wholesome and kind he was so respectful ❤
00:02 Winner of a chess tournament with a perfect score.
01:19 Discussion on a potential rook sacrifice during a chess game
08:43 Close game in the middle, need to play faster
10:22 Casual conversation during tournament
11:55 Facing challenges in a chess game
13:34 Overcoming self-doubt and avoiding checks strategically.
15:00 Chess game strategy and sacrifices
16:12 Unexpected chess moves and rule-breaking
Crafted by Merlin AI.
Congrats brother !😊
You won the poker equivalent of a $20 tournament
With rebuys? I'm in.
"I am a demon" - just started watching but it makes me so happy to hear Gotham speak with such confidence. You are a quite fine, even spectacular, chess player. Comparing yourself to Magnus and Hikaru always felt like you were unfairly beating yourself up :). Look forward to this series!
LOL ok you put these guys away, love the easy confidence and banter! Look forward to the rest of this series
And he donates….. THE ROOK!
guys were chill af great games, really a vibe
Levy´s run was so good Kramnik started doing "The Procedure"
Full drinks and blitz games give me anxiety.
But great job! Everyone who follows and learns from you know this isn’t a small feat!
Hell yeah Levy! That’s an awesome return to tournaments. Looking forward to being there when you get the title!
Levy I’m proud of you, keep training for way to become a gm. The world is waiting patiently.
Im gonna be joining another tournament next month! Wish me luck :) i jusy started playing this year, and i hope to improve a lot
Loved your content for about a year. It got me back into (just the edges) of chess. Going over to patreon now. You obviously know this or you wouldn't have started down the path but -- you got this.
Huge fan of this video. Love the style and seeing you playing out in the world. Absolutely cannot wait for the next two and congratulations on your result!
that 1400 played really well for a long time. Makes sense to eventually slip up against a stronger opponent
Good for you man that's awesome!! Can't wait to see the analysis videos!
“Greatest guess the Elo player of all time” 🤣🤣 17:12
Congrats!! Always feels good to win a tourney regardless of the setup and level. I was in Montreal a few years back and really loved these meetups. I went to a pub where they had chess and backgammon tournaments every week.
Way to go Levy! 👏👏👏
Wow i knew he didn't have a good candidates but didn't know Alireza is a 1400 now
Levy you are a huge motivator. Today i am having my own first fide rated tournament , woke up saw your video . Now i am positive. Please bless me too❤
congratulations levy, happy to see your great performace and hope you can achieve GM title very soon!
damn, thats cold, no commentary or analysis, just a raw video of him stomping. Levy is pumped
Omg I loved this!!! Why can't all chess tournaments be this chill? I wish I had a chess pub in my area.
These OTB tournament videos are fantastic.
Levy, on 25th October 2025 : I'm a GM!
Solid games!!!!! Definitely looking forward to the next videos. Congratulations!!!!!
I can't believe Levy hung mate in one and the opponent didn't see it. Absolute madman.
Hey Gotham, I’ve been in a bad place the past half year but your journey has inspired me to start a journey of my own I genuinely like to watch your videos, and find your personality funny and cool. Stay awesome
That was pretty cool! Great games Levy. Having a casual conversation in game 2 with positional flow!
Did you use the extension to hide the player names?
Wow what a really good day... Levy winning a tournament after two years that he didn't play.. Good job! And Czechs winning ice hockey championship after 14 years. For me as a Czech seems unreal.
Yo Gotham can you please do Norway chess recaps
Really like this chill type of chess video. Keep up the great work
Both of his opponents were really nice