Alexandra Botez On Sibling Rivalry, Magnus Carlsen Crush, And Family Tension

Chess, lies, and confessions. All were in play as WFM Alexandra Botez took center stage in the latest episode of "Lie Detector Chess."

The latest installment of the popular video series was released on YouTube last week. Alexandra's sister Andrea Botez, along with their "BFFs" WGMs Dina Belenkaya and Nemo Zhou, all put her to the test in a hilarious session where Alexandra was hooked up to a polygraph and forced to make funny, awkward, and even emotional confessions. 

The Botez sisters skyrocketed to fame thanks to their streaming careers and they boast more than three million followers on their YouTube and their Twitch channel, BotezLive. Regularly streaming chess, poker, and other games, the duo have become popular for their competitive spirit, humor, energy, and relatable sibling banter.

29-year-old Alexandra, the oldest of the two, started playing chess as a six-year-old and went on to win five national championships in Canada and in the United States. She represented her country in three Chess Olympiads between 2012 and 2016 and has a peak rating of 2092. This year she successfully returned to playing competitive tournaments.

Won another chess tournament!! 2 in a row baby pic.twitter.com/uoWitv62Ai

— Alexandra Botez (@alexandrabotez) June 10, 2024

It didn't take long until Alexandra was caught in an apparent lie when she responded to Andrea's first question, “Have you ever lied about your age?” Polygraph controller Orjan Hesjedal wasn't convinced and gave a thumbs-down to her "only as a joke" claim.

Alexandra went on to pass tests facing questions about whether she thinks she is autistic, if she thinks her parents like her more, or if she believes she is smarter than Andrea.

The light-hearted tone changed when Alexandra responded "somewhat" to a question about whether she had ever been jealous of Andrea's success, adding:

“I had been grinding at it alone for a year, and Andrea came in with certain expectations, and I thought it wasn't fair. But jealous isn't the right word,” she said, adding, "Sometimes I didn't think things were always fair, but this was at the start when she was like 18 and I was like 22."

I had been grinding at it alone for a year, and Andrea came in with certain expectations, and I thought it wasn't fair.

—Alexandra Botez

Another poignant moment was when Belenkaya asked Alexandra whether she feels guilty toward her parents that she made Andrea drop her studies. Alexandra doesn't, but told a "really dark" story that led to an apparent family argument.

"It was when we were preparing for Chess Camp, and I remembered when we started making content how you had work-life balance and you were so happy. And then that Friday you were so burnt out, you were trying to film a video at 11 p.m. and I asked you, "Is there anything that would bring you joy?" And you were like, "No, literally nothing." And then I saw that and I was like, yeah, like my sister might be so much more successful now, but it doesn't matter if she's not as happy."

The oldest Botez sister also had to open up about her love life. Answering a question about whether she would ever consider dating any chess players, she said "probably not." Polygraph controller Hesjedal quickly gave his thumbs-down.

Belenkaya followed up by asking about GM Magnus Carlsen, with Alexandra commenting: "I had a crush on him when I was a teen,” she confessed. "I was just playing a lot of chess and I admire people who are really good at what I'm interested in. I am very sapiosexual," she said, with the polygraph controller confirming her honesty.

I had a crush on him when I was a teen. I was just playing a lot of chess and I admire people who are really good at what I am interested in. I am very sapiosexual.

—Alexandra Botez on Magnus Carlsen.

Chess.com's series of Lie Detector Chess previously featured some of the chess world's biggest personalities. Most recently, WFM Anna Cramling was forced to reveal her true feelings about her career, while IM Anna Rudolf opened up about mean comments on social media and the "lipstick scandal." The next episode, set to be released later this month, will see Andrea Botez grilled by her sister and friends. 

We're still looking to make more "Lie Detector Chess" videos. Who else would you like to see? Be honest!