“Gukesh so happy to see us”: Botez sisters’ latest post with grandmaster goes viral

India’s reigning world chess champion D Gukesh is all set to lead the Indian contingent in pairs at the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, starting April 7. But before the matches even begin, it’s a photo that has the internet in stitches.

A picture recently posted by Alexandra Botez has gone viral, showing Gukesh standing stiffly and looking visibly awkward between the Botez sisters, Alexandra and Andrea, while posing for a photo. The moment was made even more comical by the caption: "Gukesh so happy to see us as always :)" — a cheeky nod to his expression.
Netizens were quick to draw parallels with an earlier viral moment from February, when the Botez sisters posted a photo with Gukesh at a social media event, jokingly captioned: "Why Does It Look Like We Took D Gukesh Hostage?" That post too had sparked laughter across platforms.

To add to the hilarity this time, Alexandra is seen holding a framed portrait of Gukesh — which many online users suspect looks suspiciously AI-generated. Within just a few hours of being posted, the picture racked up more than 1 million views and continues to gain traction. Users have flooded the comment section pulling Gukesh’s leg for ever-awkward poses. One user wrote, “Why are you holding a world champion hostage?”

A second user said, “The only queens that matter to him are on the ones on the chess board.” Another guessing Gukesh’s thoughts said, “Gukesh: Again? Why do they always find me?”

The Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour will see Gukesh accompanied by P Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and Vidit Gujrathi in the 12-player field. Freestyle Chess, also known as Chess 960 due to its randomized starting positions, will bring a fresh twist to the classic game as 12 top players face off in round-robin matches over the first two days at the historic Bois de Vincennes in Paris. From there, the top eight will advance to the knockout rounds, played with classical time controls. The grand finale is scheduled for April 14, with a lucrative prize of $200,000 awaiting the winner.
Germany’s Vincent Keymer, who notably served as D Gukesh’s second during last year’s World Championship match, claimed victory in the tour’s first Freestyle event held earlier this year in Weissenhaus.