Botez Gambit
The Queen's Gambit is one of the most respectable and well-known openings in chess. The Botez Gambit... well, not so much. Learn everything about the famous chess meme created by the Botez sisters.
Here's what you need to know about the Botez Gambit:
What Is The Botez Gambit?
The Botez Gambit is a chess meme evoked when someone playing chess accidentally blunders their queen. Despite being called a "gambit," the loss of the queen comes with no compensation and is not intentional. Below you can see Andrea Botez playing the infamous bad move in one of her streams.
Who Created The Botez Gambit?
The term "Botez Gambit" was created by viewers of the BotezLive channel. They came up with the meme after WFM Alexandra Botez, the channel's founder, repeatedly blundered her queen across multiple streams.
With the sisters' colossal success and viewership, the meme spilled over to other Twitch channels. Prominently featured in all major amateur online tournaments like PogChamps, the meme has taken off and become part of chess streamers' vernacular.
Examples Of The Botez Gambit
There are plenty of examples of players executing the Botez Gambit during their games. The stunt is particularly common among beginner players and has appeared numerous times in tournaments like PogChamps and BlockChamps:
The Botez sisters are, of course, famous for playing this sort of move during their streams:
Even grandmasters are not immune to an occasional Botez Gambit. Below you can see a video of a time-troubled GM Alexander Zubov blundering his queen during a Titled Tuesday event.
Conclusion
You now know what the Botez Gambit is and who created it. The best way to avoid blundering your pieces is by solving puzzles to improve your tactical and board awareness! Head over to our Puzzles page to stop playing the Botez Gambit yourself!
