Alexandra Botez

Alexandra Botez, an accomplished chess player and online personality, was born in 1995 and has made significant strides in the world of chess and streaming. Holding the title of Woman FIDE Master (WFM), she boasts a peak FIDE rating of two thousand ninety-two. Botez is a five-time Canadian girls' national champion and has also claimed the title of U.S. girls' national champion, showcasing her exceptional talent from a young age.

Beginning her chess journey at the tender age of six in Canada, Botez quickly rose to prominence, winning her first national championship at just eight years old. After relocating to the United States, she continued to excel, winning the U.S. Girls Nationals at fifteen. In 2016, while studying at Stanford University, she ventured into online streaming, where she and her sister Andrea Botez would later create the popular BotezLive channels on Twitch and YouTube, amassing over one million followers on each platform.

The BotezLive channel experienced explosive growth during the 2020 chess boom, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the popularity of the PogChamps tournaments and the Netflix series Queen's Gambit. Collaborating with top chess players, including Magnus Carlsen, and high-profile streamers, the Botez sisters have become a staple in the chess community. They were previously associated with Envy Gaming and later joined OpTic Gaming after the merger of the two organizations.

Coached by Jon Ludvig Hammer, a former second to Magnus Carlsen, Botez is also dedicated to promoting chess among children, particularly girls, through her involvement with the Susan Polgar Foundation. In addition to her chess career, she has ventured into professional poker, participating in the World Series of Poker and celebrity tournaments alongside renowned players like Phil Hellmuth. In 2024, she became an ambassador for GGPoker, further expanding her influence in the gaming world.