Move over, Beth Harmon.
Chess champion Alexandra Botez, who has been compared to the fictional protagonist of the Netflix hit show The Queen's Gambit, has demonstrated her impressive skills by beating a hardnosed chess hustler in Union Square Park in Manhattan in under 10 minutes.
Botez, 25, who has six national championship titles under her belt and holds the International Chess Federation title of Women’s FIDE Master, visited the iconic New York City plaza while on vacation and challenged several tough street players to a game of chess.
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Chess champion Alexandra Botez recently faced off against one of Union Square's hustlers in Manhattan and made quick work of him
Botez, 25, who has six national championship titles and holds the International Chess Federation title of Women’s FIDE Master, wasted no time going on the offensive
It took the glamorous chess influences under 9 minutes to defeat her opponent
The friendly street game ended with a handshake between Botez and her vanquished opponent
During one bout, Botez, who is also an Instagram influencer with more than 410,000 followers, made quick work of an older player, trouncing him in 8 minutes 26 seconds.
'So you've been destroying everybody today,' Botez, sporting a white summer minidress and flashing a smile, tells her grizzled opponent, whom she teasingly accused of 'hustling people all day.'
The street player halfheartedly denies being a hustler, but Botez lets him know she is onto him, saying: 'you're playing a little bit too quickly to not be a hustler, sir.'
The pair enjoy a friendly repartee and trade lighthearted jabs over a rapid-fire game of chess.
As Botez is going in for the kill, her opponent laments: 'that is just mean.'
Sacrificing a pawn, a triumphant Botez quips: 'I'll give you that as my parting gift.'
After a brief cat-and-mouse game,
