Alexandra Botez gained her fame and fortune through live streaming chess on Twitch. However, she is a pro player and has achieved many accolades before becoming an internet figure and commentator. The lively brunette currently holds the Woman FIDE Master. Thanks to chess, Alexandra Botez has a net worth of $1 million.
Schooling And Chess Scholarship
Alexandra Valeria Botez was born on September 24, 1995. Her parents left Romania just before she was born in Dallas, Texas. She grew up with her sister Andrea, who is also a chess player and streamer.
Despite being born in Texas, she spent most of her youth in Vancouver, Canada. Her father, Andrei, taught her chess at six years old and two years later, she started entering tournaments.
She received training from the famed Valer Eugen Demian. At 15, she returned to the US and went to a high school in Oregon. Alexandra got a chess scholarship at UT Dallas before attending Stanford University to study International Relations.
Chess Career
At the age of eight, Botez won her first national title in Canada’s children category. In 2010, she was selected for the Canadian National Team and went on to win four additional Canadian youth national championships.
When she went to the US, Botez represented Oregon twice in the SPF Girls’ Invitational and clinched the Girls National title both times. This was how she earned her chess scholarship.
Alexandra Botez won the Woman FIDE Master title in 2013 and her best FIDE Elo rating is 2092. Although she isn’t a chess grandmaster, Botez is still an extraordinary player.
Online Career
As a junior at Stanford, she started live-streaming chess videos in 2016. Her account steadily rose in popularity, and it led her to become a chess commentator. In 2018 and 2019, she covered the PRO Chess League Finals.
Botez launched the social media startup CrowdAmp in 2017, but it shut down two years later. Even so, her online presence continued to grow. In 2020, her sister Andrea joined her channel. The Botez sisters run BotezLive on YouTube and Twitch.
They signed a deal with Envy Gaming, an esports organization in Texas. Alexandra also streamed poker content for Hustler Live Casino. The BotezLive channels have 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.3 million on Twitch.
Streaming Revenue, Sponsorships and Poker
It’s estimated that the BotezLive YouTube channel makes $15,000 to $20,000 per month in ad revenue. On Twitch, the account earns $60,000 to $96,000 per year. The channels’ earnings are split between Alexandra and Andrea. In addition, some videos get sponsored by companies such as Intel and Garnier.
They earn extra money as an affiliate for chess.com and make a 15% commission for each member that signs up. The girls also operate a merch store, selling chess boards, chess pieces and hoodies.
In early 2024, GGPoker signed her as an ambassador because she’s a keen poker player. According to cardplayer.com, she has made $$144,959 through player poker at tournaments. One time while streaming poker, Alexandra won a cool $456,900, so she’s not short on cash! Her wealth is estimated to be $1 million.
Alexandra’s Brief Dating History
Alexandra Botez once dated the chess grandmaster Eric Hansen. Since they broke up, Alexandra has stayed low-key about her love life and it’s believed the chess pro is single.
