A screenshot of a man who refused to shake hands with Nemo Zhou, took the microphone and then insulted her during a friendly match at an American chess fair in late April 2026. |
The incident occurred during an event hosted by Zhou, 26, a Canadian-Chinese player, who streams to hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitch and YouTube.
A video circulating on Reddit shows the man playing poorly after waiting 30 minutes for a match. He lost his queen because he forgot that a knight could move backward. He then failed to manage his clock and lost after running out of time.
However, that loss on the chessboard was just the beginning.
Following the defeat, the man refused a handshake and complained that Zhou wasted his time. He became particularly annoyed when she mentioned previous dinner plans with another male opponent, who is her acquaintance.
In the video, Zhou remained calm and repeatedly apologized. She explained the fair was closing and she had to pack up. Despite her polite manner, the man continued his rant.
To ease the situation, Zhou gave him three diamond membership codes from Chess.com, worth about US$60. She instructed him to take a screenshot to redeem them.
After redeeming the codes and stepping out of the camera frame, the man showed Zhou the middle finger twice and continued to curse at the female grandmaster.
The video quickly went viral, attracting millions of views and thousands of comments supporting Zhou and criticizing the man.
Many Reddit users analyzed the man’s entitled behavior. Commenters theorized he did not attend the fair for chess, but rather to approach an attractive woman. They suggested he lashed out because his attempts to flirt were shut down when she began packing up.
“The funniest thing is that he waited until after receiving the gift to start cursing at her,” a user wrote.
“I guess she was more friendly with another player while he was in line,” another commented. “He expected the same kind of welcome when it was his turn. But when she started packing and preparing to leave, his illusion was shattered. He felt like his ‘time was wasted’ because what he wanted never existed.”
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Chess grandmaster Momo Zhou. Photo by Instagram/@akanemsko |
Viewers also discussed Zhou’s reaction to the harassment. Many pointed out that women often feel forced to act politely and appease aggressive men to de-escalate situations and ensure their own safety.
“I hate that this is still the best way for women when dealing with men like that. Just be nice, reward their bad behavior, and hope they’ll disappear,” one account wrote.
“The worst thing about moments like this is that you have to put your safety first. That often means playing nice, enduring the insults to avoid the risk of physical harm,” another user replied.
The viral video ignited a broader debate about the treatment of women in chess.
“He only dared to do that because she’s a woman,” one commented. “He would never behave like that towards a man.”
Another female player, mistberries, shared her personal experience: “Sadly, this is the reality in the chess world. I had to change my Chess account name and profile picture so no one would know I’m female. After that, the insults decreased significantly.”
Following the incident, the community has urged Chess to track the redeemed membership codes to identify the man. Many hope event organizers will ban him from attending future tournaments.
Nemo Zhou, real name Qiyu Zhou, is the first Canadian woman to hold the titles of Woman Grandmaster and FIDE Master. She is popular for her online alias akaNemsko on Twitch, TikTok and Instagram.
The viral clip that captured the encounter between Memo Zhou and a man who turned offensive toward her after losing a match. Video by TikTok/@akaNemsko
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