Alexandra Botez develops chess video game while committed to supporting female players

Chess player and streamer Alexandra Botez has shared an update on the progress of her upcoming chess video game, while also discussing her efforts to support the female chess community.

Botez confirmed that development on the game is continuing, with testing planned before release.

“I am still super excited to launch the chess video game. That is going to come out some point next year,” she said. “We’re going to be playtesting soon, but the rest we’re keeping pretty secret for now.”

Alongside her gaming project, Botez has been active in creating opportunities for women in chess. She has organised tournaments specifically for female players, aiming to bring greater visibility to their work. Reflecting on her motivation, she credited the influence of former women’s world champion Susan Polgar.

“A big reason why I wanted to give back to the community is because Susan Polgar really encouraged me and my girlfriends to play chess when I was young. So, I wanted to make sure that I give back to the next generation,” she explained.

Botez noted that her tournaments have had a lasting impact on participants, with several women who first appeared in her events now working as full-time chess content creators.

“I think it’s going to impact the next generation of players, for example, with the streamers who played in the tournament that I started off. They’re still streaming and it’s their full-time thing today. At least it helped get more females into the chess content creation space, and that has a huge impact because they’re changing the face of who looks like the typical chess player,” she said.

Botez continues development on her chess video game that is expected to introduce new audiences to chess.