Botez to Face WGM Qiyu Zhou in Cairns Cup Aftershow

Alexandra Botez's Saturday twitch series to benefit US Chess Women continues on  Saturday, February 8th, 2020 at 6:30 ET. As round two of the Cairns Cup winds down,  Botez will bravely take on WGM Qiyu Zhou. Alexandra played Zhou in a match earlier this winter that ended disastrously for Botez, but she is ready for a rematch:

Qiyu is one of the most talented Canadian players, even so, I was shocked when she beat me 10-0 in our last blitz match. This revenge match has been a huge motivation to improve and strike back!

Qiyu Zhou is a World Youth Champion, Women's Canadian Champion and Olympian. You can follow her on twitch, instagram and YouTube. Zhou also coaches a series of girls chess classes in Toronto and you can find out more about her chess beginnings and philosophy on this "Humans of Chess" blog.

We really need some kind of catalyst in order to get more girls playing. That’s part of the reason why I am involved with this workshop (Girls’ Chess Club on Monday nights in Toronto). Chess has helped me with a learning a lot of life skills, such as patience and risk-taking. These are skills I use on a day-to-day basis. Chess has also led me to be a very motivated and hard-working person, as I’ve understood that success doesn’t come without its fair share of work. It’s also led me to travel to more than forty countries, meet lots of amazing people, and attend a lot of wonderful events. I hope to introduce other girls to the wonderful game of chess!

You can also learn more about her in this video demonstration she gave at the 2017 Jamaica International Chess Festival. https://youtu.be/4Lx1B2co22Y Match Details: 

• Date: Saturday, Feb, 8th at 6:30 ET
• Watch at a new url, twitch.tv/botezlive
• Opponent: FM & WGM Qiyu Zhou. Rematch from when she adopted me 10-0 in blitz. This time the time control will be bullet. Women's Canadian Olympiad Team.
• Format:  Rematch from when she adopted me 10-0 in blitz. This time the time control will be bullet, first to 35 points. Commentary from NM John Williams,  a frequent guest on Botez's channel.
• 60% of on-stream donations support future US Chess Women programs. 
• Donors: Ian "Maprail" Silverstone

To get involved, after the Cairns Cup games wind down on Saturday, tune in to  twitch.tv/botezlive. Find out more about Alexandra in our premiere Ladies Knight episode.  You can also donate to US Chess Women programs directly using our online form, where you can scroll down and select “Women’s Initiative.”