Chess streamer Nemo Zhou couldn’t get anybody to play in opposition to her in a New York Metropolis park. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Nemo struggles to hustle in NYC
FIDE Grasp, Girl Grandmaster, and WPT World ambassador Nemo Zhou tried to place collectively a video hustling some New York chess gamers, however issues didn’t fairly go as deliberate. Gamers who had been hoping to see Nemo return to excessive stakes motion after her poker controversy final 12 months might be dissatisfied as she appeared unable to search out an opponent for the video.
Nemo’s most up-to-date reel, posted to her Instagram chess account on Tuesday, exhibits her attempting to drum up some motion. In a single occasion, she walks round a park and approaches a recreation asking, “Hello. Would you be all the way down to play?… No… Oh, Okay.”
Streamer vs. hustler is a well-liked sub-genre of chess video, and one which Nemo dabbled in beforehand. Sadly for Nemo, this time she had already blown her cowl.
Two extra gamers flip her down for a recreation within the Instagram video. Finally, Nemo realizes that the phrase is out on her. “I mustn’t have performed Paul first,” she says with remorse.
To rob Peter, don’t play Paul first
In November 2022, Nemo launched a streamer vs. hustler video on her Youtube channel during which she took on a participant generally known as “Russian Paul.”
identified within the New York chess scene as one of many “finish bosses” of New York Metropolis chess hustling
Paul gained the match, nevertheless it was arduous fought and got here all the way down to time in the long run. Sadly for Nemo’s future hustling prospects, Russian Paul has a status. He’s identified within the New York chess scene as one of many “finish bosses” of New York Metropolis chess hustling.
Nemo’s streaming success and FIDE score have given her fame, however amongst New York woodpushers, giving Russian Paul a run for his cash will get you notoriety.
A poker scandal
Nemo’s notoriety isn’t restricted to the world of chess playing.
Loads of chess gamers, together with world champion Magnus Carlsen, have transitioned to poker. Nemo’s transfer to poker was derailed lately when she was topic to criticism over a giveaway competitors.
Zhou awarded the prize to her poker coach, Alex “Thallo” Epstein
Zhou, a newcomer to the sport, gained a $12,400 WPT bundle prize bundle in an internet event in November 2022 and determined to offer it away to one among her YouTube subscribers. In the long run, Zhou awarded the prize to her poker coach, Alex “Thallo” Epstein.
She was allegedly courting Epstein on the time and leaked messages from Thallo appeared to point out him making an attempt to promote the bundle earlier than the draw. These circumstances led to accusations that the the giveaway was rigged.
Zhou initially responded that she would “not really feel dangerous about giving [the package] to the individual I feel deserved it most.”
She finally deleted her preliminary response and apologized, writing that she had “tousled.” She added that she had simply “wished to share [her poker success] with Thallo, who has invested hours and hours serving to me enhance my recreation” and obtained “carried away.”
Zhou finally re-ran the giveaway with Epstein excluded from the competitors, considerably mollifying her critics.
Since then, she has largely gone again to producing the sort of chess content material on which she initially constructed her profession. Nevertheless, viewers can in all probability count on there to be quite a bit fewer streamer vs. hustler movies going ahead.
