Cover Stories with Chess Life #29: IM Eric Rosen

A prominent streamer in his own right, International Master Eric Rosen is the author of the August 2020 Chess Life cover story, “The New Chess Boom.” The cover for the issue, created by Neil Jamison and directed by Frankie Butler, has gotten a lot of attention online – something we’ll surely talk about – but I believe that Rosen’s article will end up garnering just as much attention now that the issue is in mailboxes and online.

At just 26 years of age, Eric Rosen has already carved himself out a prominent place in the modern chess ecosystem. He is prominent on Twitch and YouTube for his streaming efforts, which distinguish themselves (particularly on YouTube) for their high production values. A FIDE Master in 2011 and an International Master in 2015, Eric did not let his chess distract from his education, earning a BA from Webster University, where he was on the world-famous Webster chess team.

On his website – imrosen.com – among his many other accomplishments, two stand out: in 2018 he “unknowingly defeated Magnus Carlsen in the lichess Titled Arena,” and he “appeared on the front page of Reddit.” Having seen my brother do the same thing recently, I know what a big deal that is. J

Will Eric be as witty and relaxed in an audio format instead of video? Probably. But let’s find out. With that, let’s welcome Eric Rosen to the show. Hello Eric!