GothamChess has joined science-focused esports organization BASILISK as its new Head of Chess, where he hopes to build new content, recruit players, and challenge for the Esports World Cup.

Levy Rozman, better known online as GothamChess, has become one of the biggest chess creators in the world, amassing eight million YouTube subscribers and more than 5.9 billion views.

He now joins a BASILISK roster that already includes Grandmasters Vincent Keymer and Anish Giri, as well as StarCraft 2 champions Serral and Reynor and fighting game legend Justin Wong.

Speaking exclusively to Dexerto, Rozman explained why the organization was such a strong fit.

“I really like BASILISK. I like the team, I like everybody that they’ve signed,” he said. “In many ways, it’s super cool that we’re kind of making nerds cool and fun. That’s what I’ve done the last five or six years on my YouTube channel, so I’m super pumped to make content with everybody.”

As Head of Chess, Rozman will not compete for BASILISK himself. Instead, he will help recruit players, create content, and develop projects involving chess and STEM.

BASILISK

GothamChess wants BASILISK to conquer Esports World Cup

Rozman said his “North Star” would be seeing a BASILISK player win the Esports World Cup, even if it means defeating Magnus Carlsen along the way.

“Luckily, I don’t actually have to play the games. I can just sort of root on the sidelines,” he joked. “Unfortunately, part of that is that you have to take down Magnus Carlsen. Now, that would be epic.”

Beyond competitive chess, Rozman wants to organize ambitious collaborations involving figures from STEM and strategic games such as StarCraft and Magic: The Gathering. He also raised the possibility of youth programs designed to introduce more children to STEM.

“I really want to accomplish a lot,” he said. “That was part of my excitement with joining. I had a lot of ideas, and they didn’t make it seem like any of them were impossible.”

However, joining an esports organization probably will not make Rozman’s own pursuit of the Grandmaster title any easier.

YouTube

“Unless BASILISK bribes some of my future opponents to lose to me, I highly doubt it,” he laughed. “There are fewer Grandmasters in the world than billionaires. So it’s actually technically easier to become a billionaire than it is to become a Grandmaster.

“Maybe it’ll help me become a Grandmaster of leadership or chess content or something like that.”

With GothamChess now a part of BASILISK, we’ll have to see how he further elevates the chess world and what he has in store content-wise.