Latest news with #chess
New York Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Magnus Carlsen, world chess No. 1, signs St Pauli contract extension for 2025-26 Bundesliga season
World chess No. 1 Magnus Carlsen will continue with Bundesliga team St Pauli for the 2025-26 season. Carlsen joined the German team in May 2024. Nicknamed 'the Mozart of Chess', the former world champion helped St Pauli to a 12th-placed finish in the 15-team standings, cementing their top-flight status in their debut season following promotion. Advertisement 'Last season was a great success for the team,' Carlsen said. 'We proved that we can hold our own in the Bundesliga and compete with the very best. I'm looking forward to the team's continued development – and to contributing to it.' Carlsen's arrival at St Pauli came with significant fanfare, his stature and reputation in chess attracting an oversubscription in interest for tickets and his matches were covered by the majority of German newspapers and several television channels. The Norwegian's arrival also meant each of the top-10 chess players in the world were playing in Germany. Both St Pauli's football team and its amateur chess team won promotion to the top-flight in 2024. The club's branding as one of the most widely-recognised left-wing teams in Europe was one of the factors which attracted Carlsen, with his acquisition a significant coup in their attempt for survival. Carlsen attended a St. Pauli match at their stadium, the Millerntor, when they were a struggling second-division team, and he cited the 'relaxed and joyful atmosphere' as a factor in persuading him to become a part of the club. Thomas Schuttler, chairman of the FC St. Pauli chess department, said: 'Magnus Carlsen is not only an extraordinary player but also a tremendous asset to our team culture. His presence has inspired everyone involved. We're thrilled that he's staying on — together, we're writing a special chapter in German chess, in true St. Pauli style.' Carlsen made his debut in the fifth round of the Bundesliga season, defeating Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam as St Pauli triumphed over SG Solingen, their first victory of the season. He was then held to a draw by Wei Yi in his side's narrow defeat to Dusseldorfer SK. The 34-year-old has not played for St Pauli since, with appearances at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Weissenhaus and Paris, the TCh-NOR Elite 2024-25 and 13th Norway Chess 2025 comprising a busy schedule. Jan Henric Buettner, founder of Freestyle Chess and sponsor of the team said Carlsen's contract extension 'reflects the strength of our shared project and our ambition to increase the popularity of chess in Germany'.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kyler Murray loses in final of chess tournament
For the second consecutive year, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray lost to safety Justin Reid in the finals of the high-speed Blitzchamps chess tournament June 16. At least this year, Murray won a game after losing 2-0 to Reid in 2024. Reid was with the Kansas City Chiefs then and is now with the New Orleans Saints after signing as an unrestricted free agent in March. Advertisement Eight current or former players participated in a double-elimination format that included a winner's and loser's bracket on The other six year this were Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and tackle Rashawn Slater, Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins, Eagles running back AJ Dillon, Vikings defensive lineman Harrison Phillips and former cornerback Richard Sherman. The final is best-of-two and in the event of a tie, there is sudden death, which is when Reid emerged the winner. He won $30,000 for his JReid Indeed charity, while Murray's $20,000 second-place winnings support the Kyler Murray Foundation. Reid told The Athletic he is 'obsessed' with chess and plays almost every day. Notable is that he also said, 'Whenever we're getting ready to play a game (in the NFL) and you start to get excited because you know that moment is coming where you're about to go into combat with your brothers, I play one or two games to calm myself down and bring myself back to peace because I play my best when I'm calm and thinking clearly, rather than when I'm jacked up on emotion. 'So in those two ways, the games are very similar. You get too emotional and you make mistakes, a blunder here and there. If you stay calm under pressure, it ends up translating pretty well ... Sometimes you can see what your opponent is about to do before they do it. Both on the chess board and football field so you do a move to counter that before they even get to it.' Advertisement It was intriguing that Reid mentioned 'blunder' for what can happen at key times. Eduardo Tansley of The Athletic wrote that in the sudden-death game, 'Murray resigned after a blunder when he moved h4, trapping his Queen when Reid moved Bg4.' Perhaps Murray can take some of those tips from Reid so he can be at his best in the crucial moments when NFL games are decided. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts. This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Kyler Murray loses in final of chess tournament
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Justin Reid picks off Kyler Murray to win NFL chess tournament
In the fourth edition of Blitzchamps, a chess tournament featuring eight current and former NFL players, Justin Reid emerged as the winner, taking home the largest share of the $100,000 prize pool for charity. Two-time Super Bowl-winning safety Reid, who signed with the New Orleans Saints this offseason, won his second straight Blitzchamps, beating Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in the finals on June 16. The eight participants to compete for charity in high-speed chess were Reid, Murray, Justin Herbert, Mack Hollins, Richard Sherman, Rashawn Slater, AJ Dillon, and Harrison Phillips. Players played online on and it was livestreamed on the site's YouTube channel. Congratulations to New Orleans Saints Justin Reid for winning #BlitzChamps IV! He's the first EVER back-to-back BlitzChamps Champion and has won $30,000 toward his charity, @jreidindeed! 🎉 — (@chesscom) June 16, 2025 Reid said on the stream post-tournament: 'I love (chess). I'm obsessed with it. I play it almost every day. Whenever we're getting ready to play a game (in the NFL) and you start to get excited because you know that moment is coming where you're about to go into combat with your brothers, I play one or two games to calm myself down and bring myself back to peace because I play my best when I'm calm and thinking clearly, rather then when I'm jacked up on emotion. Advertisement 'So in those two ways, the games are very similar. You get too emotional and you make mistakes, a blunder here and there. If you stay calm under pressure, it ends up translating pretty well. … Sometimes you can see what your opponent is about to do before they do it. Both on the chess board and football field so you do a move to counter that before they even get to it.' Reid won $30,000 for his charity, JReid Indeed, which focuses on supporting disadvantaged youth and communities through interactive programs, community engagement, and technology access in the communities of Houston, Baton Rouge, and Kansas City. It was a double-elimination format, with a winners and losers bracket. All matches were best-of-two, and each player started with five minutes on the clock in the winners' bracket, three minutes in the losers' bracket, and both had one-second increments with each move (considered time to move the piece). In the event of a tie, players competed in a sudden-death match, as happened in the final. Reid defeated Murray 2-1 in a repeat matchup of last year's Blitzchamps III final. Murray resigned in the third game after a blunder when he moved h4, trapping his Queen when Reid moved Bg4, but the quarterback still won $20,000 for the Kyler Murray Foundation.
CNET
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
How Did ChatGPT Get 'Absolutely Wrecked' at Chess by an 1970s-Era Atari 2600?
How Did ChatGPT Get 'Absolutely Wrecked' at Chess by an 1970s-Era Atari 2600? The console Gen Xers used to play Pac-Man and Pitfall on apparently was better than anyone knew.
The National
4 days ago
- Sport
- The National
President Sheikh Mohamed meets Emirati chess prodigy Rouda Essa Alserkal
President Sheikh Mohamed met UAE's first woman grandmaster Rouda Essa Alserkal, providing further encouragement to the fast-rising teenager who has made giant strides in the world of chess. Sheikh Mohamed met Rouda, 15, during a reception at Qasr al Bahr in Abu Dhabi. There, the UAE leader 'reaffirmed the country's commitment to supporting young Emirati sporting talents, developing their skills and capabilities, and harnessing all available resources to empower them to achieve sporting excellence at regional and international levels', WAM reported. Rouda, a product of the Abu Dhabi Chess Club, rose to prominence last year when she became the first Emirati woman grandmaster at the Arab Women's Championship in Sharjah. That success resulted in an invitation to the prestigious Norway Chess Open, where Rouda represented the UAE in a competition that featured the top chess players from across the world. There, Rouda concluded her maiden appearance at the competition by winning three consecutive games. Rouda, who turns 16 next month, endured a tough start to the tournament but found form from round seven, when she notched her first win against Norway's Sigur H. Myny. She carried the momentum, scoring her second consecutive win late last month against Italian Mauro Pivi, and capped her campaign earlier this month with victory over France's Franck Gouanelle. She finished with three wins, two draws and four losses. 'It was a learning experience more than anything else,' Alserkal said. 'And I'm proud I stayed with it. Ending with three wins felt really special – I feel like I'm still leaving stronger than I arrived although I could have done much better.' The teenager, who is aiming for the main Grandmaster title in the coming years, said she will learn from her mistakes. 'I was honestly hoping to gain around 100 rating points,' Rouda said. 'Most of the rounds I lost, I was either winning or had a clear advantage but lost my way in the end. That's what frustrated me the most.' Tournament founder Kjell Madland lauded her fighting spirit. 'It is exactly this kind of story that reinforces Norway Chess as a truly global platform. To have young talents like Rouda travel all the way from the UAE to compete at this level adds richness and reach to what we're building here,' he said.
