Why are sportspeople obsessed with chess?
Erling Haaland, Victor Wembanyama and Carlos Alcaraz all have one thing in common: a shared passion for the ancient game of chess. Just this week Haaland invested in a new global chess tour, with the Manchester City and Norway striker calling the intellectual pursuit "an incredible game" to play. The 25-year-old likened the board game to football as "it sharpens your mind" and said it helps to support an individual's ability to formulate strategies and plan ahead.
Wembanyama, one of the top basketball players in the world, is also an admirer and went viral after calling on fans to face him at chess in a New York park. Its benefits are not lost on world men's tennis number one Alcaraz either, with the Spaniard stating how its strategic benefits helps improve his game on the court. So what is it that makes chess so popular among sportspeople?
Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah says he is "addicted" to playing online chess While chess could not be further from the rough and tumble nature of the Premier League, a board game that puts strategy, planning and problem-solving at its heart has evident transferable skills. Real Madrid and England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is a keen player and grew up competing with his brothers when football wasn't on the agenda. In 2018, he took on Norwegian chess grandmaster and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in a five-minute 17-move defeat.
"Football and chess can seem like sporting polar opposites, but there are so many similarities with the modern game," Alexander-Arnold said. "Technology is playing an increasingly important role in the life of a footballer and I guess that is true across most sports now. " His England team-mate Eberechi Eze is an admirer too.
Last year the Arsenal midfielder pocketed £15,000 by winning Chess. com's four-day amateur PogChamps tournament, contested by 12 celebrity content creators and athletes. This uptake by athletes has not gone unnoticed in the chess world.