Nemo Zhou chess career highlights and success in poker

In the world of chess, many fans have heard the name Nemo Zhou. Born in China, Nemo Zhou made a name for herself in chess with titles such as FIDE Master (FM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). Beyond Nemo Zhou chess career, she is an incredibly popular streamer on Twitch, has a growing following on YouTube and Instagram.

Several years ago, she ventured into poker and continued to grow her popularity online. While the Canadian chess player has millions of fans across the globe, many still wonder what is Nemo Zhou age, how she transitioned to poker and what her net worth is.

Nemo Zhou biography at a glance

• Name: Qiyu Zhou, also known as Nemo Zhou
• Nicknames: Nemo, akaNemsko
• Born: January 6, 2000
• Birthplace: Jingzhou, China
• Current residence: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Age: 26
• Chess titles: Woman Grandmaster (2017), FIDE Master (2016)
• FIDE rating: 2172 (September 2024)
• Top FIDE rating: 2367 (September 2016)
• YouTube channel: akaNemsko
• YouTube subscribers: 586,000
• YouTube views: 567,363,442
• Instagram: akanemsko
• Instagram followers: 368,000
• Twitch channel: akaNemsko
• Twitch followers: 368,000

Nemo Zhou chess career highlights

Born Qiyu Zhou on January 6, 2000, Nemo Zhou, started playing chess when she was three. While she was born in Jingzhou, China, when she started playing chess, she was living in France. However, Nemo Zhou grew up in Finland as well as Canada.

Nemo Zhou chess career hit its first major milestone when she became the youngest-ever Finnish national chess champion. At the age of five, she emerged as the winner in the under-10 open section of the Finnish Youth Chess Championships, the first of many high-level chess achievements.

Nemo Zhou chess career continued as she emerged as the under-10 open champion on four occasions between 2007 and 2010. Then, at age 10, Nemo Zhou won the Finnish Women's National Chess Championship in 2010.

At the 2010 World Youth Championship, she earned her first FIDE rating of 1710 early in 2011 when she was still 10 years old. The same year, Nemo Zhou's parents moved to Ottawa, Canada, and she transitioned to the Chess Federation of Canada (CFC). Then Zhou's chess career continued, considering that in Canada, she had the option to participate in more tournaments against adults.

Participating in the 2011 Montreal Open and the 2011 World Youth Championship, Nemo Zhou recorded significant success, increasing her FIDE rating to 1782. It didn't take long for her to emerge as the Canadian youth national chess champion after winning the girls under-12 division and the girls' under-14 division in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

By 2015, Nemo Zhou chess career has gone through ups and downs with changes to her rating. In 2016, she hit a major goal after she was awarded the FIDE Master (FM) title. Representing Canada in multiple national and international events, Nemo Zhou gained even more popularity as a Woman FIDE Master (WFM).

In 2020, Nemo Zhou chess career boomed with the growing popularity of online chess. This enabled her to build a large follower base via Twitch and YouTube, where she started to post beginner lessons, stream live chess plays and connect with her audience. Growing in popularity, Nemo Zhou has collaborated with popular influencers, including a challenge against MrBeast, the unquestionable YouTube star, businessmen and philanthropist.

Nemo Zhou poker career

Nemo Zhou age is a popular search topic in the context that she started playing chess from a young age. As of 2026, she is 26 years old, but her age hasn't slowed her down at all. Instead, Nemo Zhou chess career helped her successfully transition not only to streaming but to poker, further expanding her worldwide popularity.

Nemo Zhou poker streams and appearances helped introduce her to the audience in the gambling vertical. After all, her proficiency in playing chess professionally, ability to stay calm under pressure and background in competitive chess enabled her to naturally enter poker.

Nemo Zhou has significant experience in recognizing patterns, determining probability and long-term strategic planning, all skills that are just as relevant in poker as they are in chess. With chess training and her mental endurance, she can easily withstand the pressure of poker play and analyze her opponents.

According to data from The Hendon Mob, the largest live poker database, Nemo Zhou poker earnings are an estimated $53,512. Her career in poker started with participation in the $1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Millionaire Maker (Event #37) event during the 53rd World Series of Poker in 2022. At the time, she ranked 1165th, taking home a prize of $2,400. Later that same year, Nemo Zhou participated in a couple of restricted poker events, winning several thousand dollars.

The Nemo Zhou poker career's big break came in August 2023. At the time, she participated in an invitational No Limit Hold'em event part of the Celebrity Poker Tour. Emerging as the winner of the event, Nemo Zhou took the top prize of $20,000.

In December 2023, she participated in the $5,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event Championship (WSOPP Bracelet Event #10) part of WSOP Paradise 2023. She ranked 178th, winning $13,900.

Early in 2024, Nemo Zhou participated in an event part of the 2024 Encore Boston Harbor Recurring Tournaments, ranking 15th place for a $921 prize. Then, in May, she ranked 7th in the No Limit Hold'em Celebrity Poker Tour - CPT Invitational III, winning $2,000. In August of the same year, she nearly won the CPT Invitational IV's No Limit Hold'em tournament, taking 2nd place and a prize of $10,000.

Nemo Zhou net worth

Estimates of Nemo Zhou net worth reflect a range of income streams, including earnings from YouTube, Twitch, as well as sponsorships, events and poker earnings. Her ability to diversify her income streams, monetize platform presence and sponsorships complement her successful background as one of the best women chess players in the world.

It is safe to say that Nemo Zhou net worth varies, considering the multiple evolving sources of revenue she has. With financial details not publicly available, her wealth is estimated in the realm of the mid-six-figure to low seven-figure range. However, it is worth noting that Nemo Zhou net worth is expected to continue growing, considering her expanding popularity on social media, brand opportunities and monetization capabilities.

Considering her large fan base online, the interest in Nemo Zhou boyfriend is often subject to online debate. Despite fan curiosity, details about Nemo Zhou boyfriend remain limited, similar to information about her net worth, highlighting her preference for privacy.

The chess star's popularity on social media continues to grow

Nemo Zhou's background in competitive chess played a major role in her transition to poker. Her success in chess is unquestionable, and she continues to leverage her chess skills when participating in poker tournaments. Considering Nemo Zhou's large online fan base, she also creates content focused on traveling and fashion, publishing vlogs, lifestyle videos, as well as engaging and unique chess content.

Image credit: Casino Guru News