International master Levy Rozman, popularly known as GothamChess online, won a head-to-head matchup against grandmaster Pia Cramling in a showdown known as the Battle of Generations. The event lasted from October 28th to November 2nd and took place in Stockholm, Sweden.

Levy Rozman is a 28-year-old content creator who has soared to fame due to the tremendous success of his YouTube channel GothamChess, a channel currently boasting over five million subscribers. A great chess player, Rozman currently holds the second highest title in the game: international master. On the other hand, his opponent, Pia Cramling, is 61 years old and has had a distinguished career in chess , holding the gandmaster title, the highest title, since 1992. For the last four decades, Pia has been almost undefeatable at chess and, despite her age, continues to compete in competitive tournaments to this day. 

The matchup between an experienced veteran of the game and a popular content creator seemed unlikely. However, Pia’s daughter, Anna, who is also a popular streamer and content creator, made the event possible. The age difference between Rozman and Cramling gave the event a fitting name: the Battle of Generations, an event pitting experience against youth. 

There was an interesting twist to the format of the game, which was to have the two combatants play each other in three entirely different time controls: classical, rapid, and blitz. As a result, the players had to adjust the amount of time they could take before executing their moves, which tested their abilities to adapt in the midst of intense circumstances.

During the classical phase of the event, Cramling shot out to an early lead by winning the first game, and after two more tense draws, Rozman won the last classical game after his opponent lost on time in a drawn, albeit difficult, endgame with few pieces left on the board. Rozman improved his game in the faster time controls, and after two draws in the rapid portion, he won three games in a row. Though Cramling won the last rapid game, Rozman still held a sizable lead heading into the blitz section. 

Throughout the blitz games, the fatigue affecting the players after playing for five consecutive days of chess was evident, with both of them making reckless mistakes that they otherwise could have avoided. After trading blows and taking advantage of blunders, Rozman still held a +4 score that he had gained from the rapid portion, which would lead him to victory with four blitz games to spare, as it was a lead that that Cramling couldn’t overcome.

After the match, both players showed great sportsmanship; Cramling described how her opponent played better chess, expressing her congratulations and describing how much she enjoyed playing the games with him. As for Rozman, he explained how much he loved the match. “It’s a pleasure to play Pia because she just has a love for the game which I don’t think I have quite developed,” Rozman said. Both players expressed their desire to organize more events like this in the future, which, if they materialize, would be a treat for chess enthusiasts worldwide.