The host of Chessbrah Aman Hambleton has unexpectedly agreed with fellow Twitch streamer Hikaru Nakamura that Andrea Botez made a mistake by asking a joke question at the World Chess Championship.
The Botez sisters were in Dubai last November 30th to watch Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi compete in the World Chess Championship when Andrea decided to ask a question at the press conference.
Her question, “How does the Knight move,” was an inside joke for Magnus, who responded with a grin and a semi-serious answer from the chess legend. However, it caused some controversy in the chess community as a whole.
Hikaru slammed Botez in particular, claiming that such joke questions “should not be happening” at such a prestigious chess tournament. And, as it turns out, he’s not alone in his feelings.
Chessbrah watched the video of Andrea asking her question during his own stream and wasn’t pleased with her line of questioning. He stated that he enjoys the Botez sisters and what they bring to the table. But, given that they are in the middle of a world championship, they should not make it all about them. They should never make an inside joke that only includes one of the players, despite the fact that it is a comedic rule and a serious event.
Things would be different if both Nepomniachtchi and Carlsen were in on it, according to Hambleton. It’s not funny when they alienate one of the players. It’s not funny right away, and it makes you cringe. They shouldn’t leave one of the players out, because that would be bad comedy.
Following Hikaru’s analysis, the streamer declared that he “fully agrees” with the GM’s point of view. He stated that he believes he is correct, and they have Andrea Botez asking Magnus Carlsen how the knight moves, while Nepo asks, “literally who are you and why are you in my conference?” He actually agrees with Hikaru.
It’s certainly intriguing to see Hambleton and Hikaru on the same page. When you factor in the mixed reactions to Andrea’s joke, it appears that the community is deeply divided.
They could even call it a stalemate.
