WFM Alexandra Botez’s venture into the game development world continues with a new chapter. Last year, the Canadian creator announced her involvement with Chess Arena, a fast-paced chess-themed battle royale game. Now, she’s hosting the Chess Arena Creator Brawl, an event for superstar creators from the chess world and beyond, with a $2,500 prize fund.
The event takes place on July 31, starting at 10:30 a.m. PT / 1:30 p.m. ET / 19:30 CEST. Alexandra and Andrea Botez, WGM Dina Belenkaya, and WGM Nemo Zhou are among the prominent chess personalities competing. They’ll be joined by streamers from other communities, including Gorgc, Artosis, T90official, and past PogChamps competitors MrLlama and Sardoche. Fans can watch the event’s live broadcast on BotezLive.
The game, which has now officially launched for the general public at chessarena.gg, is free to play and offers its battle pass for free until September 28, 2026. Click the button below to go to Chess Arena’s official website and download the game:
Alexandra describes Chess Arena as a combination of chess and Fortnite. In its main mode, the game pits 40 players against each other on a massive board, from which only one player can survive. Unlike regular chess, there are no turns—all players move in real time, using special abilities and summoning chess pieces to outmaneuver their opponents. Battles can range from one-on-ones to multiple players all trying to survive, eliminate others, and collect experience points simultaneously.
The game has attracted the attention of players and content creators alike during its playtest and beta stages. Chess creators like Nemo and WFM Anna Cramling have publicly praised Chess Arena, with the game also ranking in the top 20 for most-watched categories on Twitch during its beta.Â
Since its inception, Chess Arena has evolved to include several game modes, skins, pets, characters, and more. Players can also create their own game modes and enjoy different events and cosmetics for each of the game’s seasons.
Have you played Chess Arena yet? Let us know in the comments below!