Making chess fun: Nemo Zhou is an influencer and woman grandmaster on a mission
Chinese-born Canadian says on visit to Hong Kong that she wants to encourage more people to play – and challenge some stereotypes
Nemo Zhou Qiyu’s many guises include content creator, video game streamer and model, but it is her status as a WGM, or woman grandmaster, that is her superpower.
While the Chinese-born Canadian’s online output features everything from poker to food, it is the clips showing her challenging people on the street to beat her at chess for cash that reveal her mission to help transform a sport.
Zhou, 25, has spent this week live-streaming around Hong Kong, either side of visiting the local chess federation so that the city’s best exponents – and a Post reporter – could play against her.
“My own goal is to show people that chess can be fun, and to encourage people to get into the game,” she said. “Approach it with the mentality that you might not become the next [Norwegian grandmaster] Magnus Carlsen, and that’s OK.
“Growing up in competitive chess, the mentality was always that if you’re not this year’s No 1-ranked player … you’re a failure.