The Women Bringing Chess into the 21st Century with 'Bullet' Matches and Viral Videos

During the Covid lockdown, Nemo Zhou was "losing [her] mind" at home and thought it would be nice to make some money.

She began streaming chess, which has since turned into a full-time career.

A woman grandmaster—the highest female-only chess title—Zhou was studying economics and mathematics at the University of Toronto at the time.

She launched her own streaming channel in 2020 after guest appearances on a friend's channel, perfectly timed with the release of the Netflix show The Queen's Gambit and the pandemic, which sparked a global chess boom.

Zhou's channel quickly gained popularity. Recognizing the lasting potential, she dropped out of university to focus on streaming.

'You Have to Really Put Yourself Out There'

Five years later, Zhou, now 26, has amassed over two million followers across Twitch, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

She streams five to six hours daily, at least five days a week, with peak audiences on weekends.

Her videos showcase a mix of online and in-person play, including matches against the famous chess hustlers of New York's Washington Square Park.

Zhou has secured commercial sponsorships, collaborates with other creators, and travels internationally.

On YouTube, she earns through views, advertising, and brand deals, while on Instagram her income comes from sponsored posts.

On Twitch, her revenue comes from subscriptions starting at about $5 (£3.70) per month in the US and donations called "bits," the platform's in-app currency.

Dr. Nina Willment, an associate researcher at the University of York, estimates that a content creator with Zhou's following could comfortably earn a six-figure salary across all platforms.

However, Willment notes this is a broad estimate since few streamers disclose their exact income.

Zhou declined to comment on her earnings.

Willment also highlights that Zhou's two million-plus followers place her in the top 1-2% of content creators worldwide.

'We Needed a Bit of a Make-Over'

Chess content creators like Zhou are helping to modernize the ancient game for the 21st century.

Elite chess was once played almost exclusively in silent halls with games lasting hours and little effort to engage casual viewers, but that is changing.

Top tournaments increasingly feature "rapid" and "blitz" time controls, with as little as three minutes per player per game, and players wear heart rate monitors to show the stress during critical moments.

Last year, chess debuted at the Esports World Cup—one of the world's largest competitive gaming events held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—and this year it returns with even more participants.

All these changes are helping chess shake off its reputation as an "old man's game," says woman international master Fiona Steil-Antoni, who works as a commentator and interviewer at international tournaments.

"I think we needed a bit of a makeover," she says, "and we're very much getting that."

You can watch our video report on the women changing the image of chess on YouTube.

'I've Never Stopped Thinking About Content Creation'

Following in the footsteps of streamers like Zhou is Sarah El Barbry.

The 24-year-old, of Egyptian and Moroccan descent, grew up in Paris and has been creating chess content on TikTok since 2023. She began streaming last year after noticing a lack of women streaming in French.

Her content includes online chess play, educational videos, and in-person challenges such as playing blindfolded, where players visualize the board mentally.

In November last year, a video of El Barbry starting a chess game with only a King and Queen and delivering checkmate went viral, garnering 28 million views and 10,000 new followers.

She now has over 75,000 followers across platforms.

"Since I started, I've never stopped thinking about content creation. I sometimes work through the night from midnight to 3 a.m.," she says.

While content creation can be lucrative for those who succeed, there are no guarantees.

Initially, El Barbry earned just $117 (£87) a month from streaming before expanding to YouTube.

Now, she makes around $1,700 (£1,300) monthly, still below France's minimum wage.

Willment explains that the success of top streamers overshadows the reality that thousands, if not millions, earn nothing while trying to break through.

'I Know I Have More Viewers Because I'm a Girl'

As of January 2026, female-led channels accounted for about half of the top 20 most-watched chess streams on Twitch, excluding large corporate channels, according to Twitchmetrics, which tracks viewer engagement.

However, most chess content creators and their audiences remain predominantly male.

El Barbry estimates her audience was 95% male when she started and is now about 85% male.

She believes she attracts more viewers than some male streamers because she is a woman. "I'm OK with that because, you know, it's a part of the game," she says.

Zhou says her YouTube audience is about 80% male, but her Instagram chess page has a 50-50 split, "which is pretty crazy and pretty cool."

Women at the Top of the Game

The chess boom has encouraged more women and girls to play competitively.

The proportion of female players registered with the world chess federation FIDE for "standard" time control games has risen from 10% in 2020 to 16.5% in 2026.

However, the elite level remains male-dominated.

Currently, no women are ranked in the top 100 players worldwide, and only three women have ever achieved this.

Studies suggest the performance gap between men and women is influenced by factors such as lower participation rates, a lack of women coaches, and playing environments that can be hostile to girls and women.

Participation gaps are smaller in countries where chess is taught in primary schools, such as Mongolia (nearly 40% female players registered with FIDE), Sri Lanka (35%), and Uganda (30%).

Steil-Antoni believes progress is being made and says she is "cautiously optimistic" that chess will move closer to "some kind of equality in my lifetime."

'It's Going to Be Everything or Nothing'

Zhou now has ambitions beyond chess.

She has expanded into lifestyle, travel, and fashion content, and in October participated in Paris Fashion Week.

She hopes to sign with a modelling agency and reach one million followers on her Instagram chess page.

El Barbry is determined to give herself six months to succeed as a streamer.

If she does not succeed, her backup plan is a corporate career, having earned a civil engineering degree and a master's in business management.

In January, she made her debut as a commentator at a major esports event.

She describes the last few months as an "adventure."

"I feel that this year is going to be crazy. It's going to be everything or nothing."

This is part of the Global Women series from the BBC World Service, sharing untold and important stories from around the globe.