The internet believes that the Botez Sisters held chess master Viswanathan Anand “hostage” in this picture

On social media, a photo of Viswanathan with American-Canadian chess player Alexandra Valeria Botez and her sister Andrea went viral. Alexandra posted the images on X, the old name for Twitter. The Botez sisters are shown posing with Viswanathan in the first image, while Anand is shown up close in the second, with a “awkward” expression. Alexandra hilariously captioned the photos, asking, “Why does it look like we took Viswanathan Anand hostage?”

Upon sharing the photographs, internet users couldn’t contain their laughter.

One person requested the sisters to “release” him, while another commented, “Lol he’s thinking the next move.” A third user said, “Checkmate by two queens,” while a fourth said, “Trust me, that’s the happiest face I’ve ever seen of him.”

Another individual jokingly said, “He is thinking of a move where the King is between 2 Queens and no pawns on the board.”

With more than 20,000 likes and over 1.4 million views, the tweet has received a lot of attention so far.

The photos were released a few weeks after the chess great gained notoriety at Lollapalooza 2024 by showcasing his vocal prowess. Viswanathan was seen enjoying a happy moment during the legendary artist Sting’s performance on stage. Along with boasting that he was familiar with most of The Police’s songs and even Sting’s solo albums, he posted a video of his encounter on social media. Songs by The Police like “Every Breath You Take” and “Roxanne” had a profound effect on me when I was very young. As of right now, I can claim to be familiar with the most of their songs as well as Sting’s solo albums. Over the years, they have consistently appeared on his playlist,” he said.

Witnessing this never-before-seen aspect of the Grand Master, fans were astonished.

The Botez sisters: who are they?

Alexandra Botez and her sister Andrea Botez are both well-known chess players and influencers on websites like Twitch and YouTube. They often broadcast live chess games. They have a sizable fan base on many platforms and work with celebrities and content producers in the business.