Nemo Zhou Biography: Age, Parents, Boyfriend, Net Worth, Nationality, Husband

Nemo Zhou, also known as Qiyu Zhou, is a Chinese-born Canadian chess player, Woman Grandmaster (WGM), FIDE Master (FM), Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and poker player.

Renowned for her competitive chess achievements and engaging online content, she has made significant contributions to both the chess and esports communities, captivating audiences with her strategic prowess and vibrant personality.

Profile

• Full Name: Qiyu Zhou
• Stage Name: Nemo Zhou
• Born: January 6, 2000
• Age: 25 years old
• Birthplace: Jingzhou, China
• Nationality: Canadian (previously Finnish)
• Occupation: Chess Player, Twitch Streamer, YouTuber, Poker Player, Chess Commentator
• Height: 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m)
• Parents: Changrong Yu (father), Jiehan Zhou (mother)
• Siblings: None
• Spouse: Alex “Thallo” Epstein
• Children: None
• Relationship: Dating
• Net Worth: $1 Million to $1.5 million USD

Early Life and Education

Qiyu Zhou, was born on January 6, 2000, in Jingzhou, China, to her father, Changrong Yu, a computer engineering PhD, and her mother, Jiehan Zhou, an English linguistics PhD.

She attended Colonel By Secondary School for her secondary education and later enrolled at the University of Toronto, where she double-majored in statistics and economics with a minor in mathematics.

Fluent in Mandarin, English, French, and Finnish, her multicultural upbringing and academic rigor complemented her chess and content creation careers.

Career

Nemo Zhou’s chess career began with a remarkable achievement at age five, winning the Finnish National Youth Chess Championship under-10 open division, making her the youngest Finnish champion ever.

She repeated this feat from 2007 to 2010 and won the Finnish Women’s Championship in 2010 at age 10.

Her career highlight was winning the under-14 girls’ World Youth Chess Championship in 2014 in Durban, South Africa, finishing undefeated with 8½/11.

She earned the Woman International Master (WIM) title in 2015 at the North American Youth Chess Championships and the FIDE Master (FM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM) titles in 2016, becoming the first Canadian woman to achieve these honors.

Her peak FIDE rating was 2367 in September 2016, ranking her No. 100 among women globally.

Notable victories include defeating International Master Toms Kantāns (rated 2496) in 2016.

She has represented Canada at the Women’s Chess Olympiad since 2014 and competed in the 2017 Women’s World Chess Championship and 2021 Women’s World Cup, though she was eliminated in the first round of both.

In 2021, Nemo ventured into poker, competing in the WSOP Ladies Championship and winning the Celebrity Poker Tour Invitational in 2023 for $20,000.

A 2022 controversy arose when her boyfriend won a $12,000 WPT package in a giveaway, but she continued to build her poker profile, finishing runner-up in the 2024 CPT Invitational.

Awards and Nominations

• Won Finnish National Youth Chess Championship, Under-10 Open (2005–2010).
• Won Finnish Women’s National Chess Championship (2010).
• Won Silver Medal, World Youth Chess Championships, Under-8 Girls (2008).
• Won Canadian Girls’ National Chess Championship, Under-12 (2012).
• Won Canadian Girls’ National Chess Championship, Under-14 (2013).
• Won World Youth Chess Championship, Under-14 Girls (2014).
• Won Canadian Women’s National Chess Championship (2016).
• Won Canadian World Cup Qualifier Tournament (2021).
• Won Celebrity Poker Tour Invitational (2023).
• Earned Woman International Master title (2015).
• Earned FIDE Master title (2016).
• Earned Woman Grandmaster title (2016).
• Nominated for Best Chess Streamer, The Streamer Awards (2023).
• Received Silver YouTube Play Button for 100,000 subscribers (2022).

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @akanemsko
• Facebook Handle: Nemo Zhou
• Twitter Handle: @akanemsko
• YouTube Channel: akaNemsko
• TikTok Handle: @akanemsko

Personal Life

Nemo Zhou, 25, is dating poker professional Alex “Thallo” Epstein, with whom she has collaborated professionally.

She has no children and is unmarried.

Based in Toronto, with plans to possibly relocate to Los Angeles, Nemo was bullied in middle school, fueling her drive to succeed in chess.

She has cited Hou Yifan as her chess role model.

A 2022 controversy involving her boyfriend’s giveaway win was addressed transparently, maintaining her credibility.

Net Worth

Nemo Zhou has an estimated net worth of $1 million to $1.5 million USD.

Her income stems from chess tournament winnings, Twitch streaming, YouTube ad revenue (approximately $300,000–$500,000 from 148 million views before taxes), Chess.com content creation, and poker earnings, including $20,000 from the 2023 Celebrity Poker Tour.

Sponsorships with Counter Logic Gaming and WPT Global also contribute.