Andrea Botez hits back at chess critics after losing to comedian following major blunder

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Andrea Botez, a popular chess streamer and DJ, was expected to do well at Super PogChamps, but a costly error prevented her from winning and led to some negative feedback.

So, back in early December 2025, Chess.com did this awesome event called Super PogChamps. It was basically a tournament with a bunch of popular streamers and YouTubers, and honestly, most of us weren’t serious chess players – we just played casually for fun!

Andrea Botez, a chess streamer who also DJs, was a strong contender among popular competitors like Tyler1, Sonicfox, and FaZe Sparg0.

Although she wasn’t as highly ranked as her sister, Alexandra, Andrea easily won her group and advanced to the semi-finals, where she competed against Samay Raina, a popular Indian YouTuber and comedian.

Even though she was significantly behind in rating and facing a tough opponent, Raina managed to tie the match against Botez. She won and lost one game each, and her higher accuracy score earned her the advantage of playing with the white pieces in the deciding game.

Oh man, during the tie-breaker, Andrea was seriously getting low on time! It was crazy because Raina actually left a Knight hanging – like, completely vulnerable – but Andrea totally didn’t see it! I couldn’t believe it when I was watching the stream; such a missed opportunity!

Okay, so my sister Alexandra was commentating, and honestly, she was kinda hoping Andrea would win. But I pulled off this amazing move – a discovered check! It completely caught Andrea off guard and I actually took her queen! It was a huge deal, especially so late in the game, and basically sealed the win for me.

Raina won the tournament by defeating Sardoche in the final round, but a significant mistake by Andrea drew criticism from some fans.

Andrea Botez defends chess skills after blunder cost her Super PogChamps

A video of Andrea making a mistake is circulating on X, and another user publicly criticized her for it.

“A chess ‘influencer’ pushed and constantly marketed by chess.com,” they mocked.

Someone angrily claimed the sisters prey on isolated chess enthusiasts, stating that’s all they seem to live for.

I create chess videos and streams, but I’m not aiming to become a professional player. This event was actually a really enjoyable charity stream, and honestly, we’ve built a whole audience around funny mistakes – like accidentally losing a queen! So what’s your point? 😂

— Andrea Botez (@itsandreabotez) December 7, 2025

Andrea immediately responded to the criticism by explaining what was going on, and quickly put a stop to it.

I create chess videos and streams – I’m not aiming to become a professional player. Also, this event was a really enjoyable charity stream, all for the content. We’ve actually built a whole following based on funny mistakes, so I’m not sure what your point is.

Botez was talking about the well-known ‘Botez gambit,’ a situation where the siblings often lose their queen in a game. However, it’s not a real gambit because they don’t lose the queen on purpose as a strategic move.

She also mentioned that her chess promotion and outreach led to a $5,000 prize, which she plans to donate entirely to the Daniel Naroditsky memorial fund.

Just so you know, the chess promotion and outreach I’ve been doing helped me win a $5,000 prize! I’m donating the entire amount to the Daniel Naroditsky memorial fund. ❤️ You can donate here:

— Andrea Botez (@itsandreabotez) December 7, 2025

Andrea noted the high skill level of the Super PogChamps competitors, explaining she trained intensely for the event – three hours a day, even while recovering her hearing in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. She added that Sardoche has reached a skill level equivalent to her own (an Elo rating of 2000), and described the competition as genuinely intense and intimidating.

Okay, so this isn’t new for Andrea. Back in 2021, she got some heat from Hikaru Nakamura, a famous grandmaster, because she asked a playful question to the players at the Carlsen vs. Nepomniachtchi World Chess Championship. It caused a bit of a stir, apparently.

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2025-12-09 00:49