Roommate! The Botez sisters show off new Austin apartment

The last six months have been huge for chess, and specifically, online chess. The reasons for this are multi-faceted; Netflix's The Queens Gambit certainly helped, a pandemic that has sent not just "traditional" gamers to platforms like Twitch wouldn't have hurt either. Throw in some high-profile Twitch streamers, like Félix "xQc" Lengyel, taking an interest and playing with Grand Master's such as Hikaru Nakamura and you have something of a perfect storm.

At the vanguard of all this success has been the Botez sisters, Alexandra and Andrea, two gifted chess players and the stars behind the BotezLive Twitch and YouTube channels.

The sisters rise throughout 2020 was meteoric. In January they had 60,000 followers on Twitch and by the end of the year, they were just short of half a million. They were also, like many of Twitch's new chess stars, signed by an esport organisation, in the sister's case it was North American org Team Envy.

Now the sisters are celebrating a new chapter in their life having just moved in together to Austin, Texas--the home of Team Envy-- and after settling in they have opened the doors to their new apartment, giving fans a peek of what life is like for chess' most famous siblings.

And like any siblings, especially ones living under the same roof, it isn't long until there differing points of views.

Andrea, 18 and the youngest of the sisters, welcomes the viewers with a proclamation

"We live together, in this place, together, forever, until the end," claims Andrea.

"Not by my own will," fires back Alexandra "but it's okay."

(Picture: Team Envy)

The first stop is the kitchen, where they try a little too hard to convince that it's always clean, it's a place Andrea claims she cooks and Alexandra eats.

A fact giving some credence when Andrea asks her sister what she likes cooking and Alexandrea replies, "Well, I like the wine..."

Then it's a whistle-stop tour into the girl's bedrooms. Like many 18-year-olds Andrea has gone for LEDs lined along the walls, a big bed due to being "an aggressive sleeper", and also shows off the basis for a new streaming setup replete with Acer Predator peripherals.

(Picture: Team Envy)

Alexandra's bedroom is more "serene" and with a few plants and some wood furnishings, it definitely looks like a relaxing place. The real highlight, however, is the en-suite bathroom which Alexandra admits is "bigger than her last apartment".

(Picture: Team Envy)

Of course, we know the Botez for their streaming careers, and so what we are all keen to see is where that BotezLive magic happens.

And while they both will have streaming setups in their rooms, the sisters frequently stream together, and so have created a main streaming setup in the living room positioned to take full advantage of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering views over Austin.

(Picture: Team Envy)

The setup has improved remarkably in the weeks since they've moved in with the sisters admitting that at one point they were streaming from a picnic table and picnic chairs, the latter of which Alexandra fell through during a stream.

Thankfully, they now have some two Team Envy branded ZipChairs.

(Picture: Team Envy)

Two chess-playing sisters are sure to have a competitive streak but it seems the stakes are low for the Botez' who finish off their tour with a low key squabble about who will be the first to break all this new equipment.

With their move to Austin putting them within touching distance of Team Envy's HQs it looks like both sides of this partnership are keen to grow and make the most of it. This won't be the last time we get a look into the Botez sisters' lives and fans will be happy to hear it.

• Read more: TSM's Hikaru challenges former US President Barack Obama to chess match

You can see the full video from Team Envy's YouTube channel. We have embedded it below.