Inspired by Beth Harmon from Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit and want to start playing chess? It is a beautiful game requiring wit and technique, that comes after years of practicing. You need to be on your guard at all times. We loved Beth and have finally found a real-life Chess influencer! Alexandra Botez from Dallas, Texas resembles her in every way!
Alexandra has more than 250,000 followers on Instagram. Her father raised a wager against her mother when she was young, which got Alexandra into playing chess from 6 years of age. He told her that she would be able to learn and defeat her mother in the game within 2 weeks.
After defeating her mother in the challenge, her dad made her compete in tournaments as well as it was clear that she had exceptional talent in this game. He used to take her to local parks initially to find people to play with. At 8 years old, Alexandra competed in her first National Championship. While in Texas, she also competed in the US Girls National Championship when she was 15.
How Is The Experience For A Female Chess Player?
Alexandra admits to having faced sexism in tournaments, with male superiors often belittling her talent. In fact, even her closest friends believed that women were not that great at chess. Thankfully, Alexandra ousted all of them by winning six national championships. She also holds the title of the International Chess Federation of Women’s FIDE Master.
Along with Alexandra, her younger sister Andrea also plays chess professionally. Currently, both sisters live stream their game on Twitch, challenging other players as well. They had around 60,000 Twitch followers at the beginning of 2020. After the pandemic hit, the numbers rose sharply! They currently have more than 500,000 followers on the platform.
How Does Alexandra Relate To Beth Harmon?
After watching The Queen’s Gambit, Alexandra realized how similar she was to Beth. Beth had engulfed her own life into chess, the techniques, competing with other players, learning, and more. Alexandra also found herself similar to the fictional character for the sexism faced by Beth.
She also cosplayed as Beth this year and fans loved her look!
Check out these wonderful reactions! Of course, people think Netflix was inspired by her story!
Also Read: Backyard Bakery To A Rs. 540 Crore Business: Meet India’s Iconic Businesswoman
Have you watched the show yet?
Source: Daily Mail
