Andy Murray was a surprise guest at the London Chess Classic and made the ceremonial first move in round five. He played 1.e4 for Grandmaster (GM) Nodirbek Abdusattorov at Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium, with the player going on to beat Greek GM Nikolas Theodorou.
The event was organised by Chess in Schools and Communities and is the most prestigious tournament in Britain. Abdusattorov, alongside fellow chess players, are competing for a prize of £19,000 ($25,000). The tournament is being officially streamed on YouTube and once Murray entered, GM Stephen Gordon, who is a commentator, announced the arrival of the Scotsman.
Tennis legend, the greatest British tennis player of all time Andy Murray is in the building!” said Gordon as Murray made his entrance. “I understand he may be a bit of a GM David Howell fan!”
After watching BBC series Chess Masters, Murray contacted Howell, who is the current English number-one. Murray enjoys chess himself, but has previously admitted that his son is a better player.
My five-year-old boy has gotten massively into chess,” Murray said to the BBC. “I’m not a particularly good chess player but I’ve got quite an analytical mind. I enjoy the game and watching him learn.
It’s difficult losing to a five-year-old when in the middle of the game he’s asking you to come and wipe his bum, essentially. It’s humbling for my intelligence.”
Murray isn’t the only tennis star to enjoy chess. Current superstar Carlos Alcaraz is a big fan of the game and the legendary Boris Becker is known to be a huge supporter – he even had lessons from CEO International Master Malcolm Pein.
Speaking to Vogue about his love for chess, Alcaraz said: “I love chess. Having to concentrate, to play against someone else, strategy – having to think ahead. I think all of that is very similar to the tennis court.
You have to have intuition about where the other player is going to send the ball, you have to move ahead of time and try to do something that will make him uncomfortable. So I play it [chess] a lot.”
The London Chess Classic is organised by Chess in Schools and Communities, who are a UK charity that were founded in 2009. Their goal is to improve the educational outcomes and social development of children by introducing them to chess.
