NBA star Victor Wembanyama a towering presence on chessboard too

NEW YORK – Victor Wembanyama has established himself as a force on the National Basketball Association (NBA) hardwood, but on Dec 28 he showed he can make moves on the chessboard as well, as the San Antonio Spurs centre took on fans at a park in New York.

The 20-year-old Frenchman encouraged his followers on X to join him at Washington Square Park’s famed Chess Plaza for some games and a few dozen did just that, despite rainy conditions.

“This is the biggest chess game of my life,” one opponent said, while seated across from the 2.21m Wembanyama, who won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award last season and an Olympic silver medal with France in the summer.

“I was just feeling like it, and that’s enough of a reason,” Wembanyama said in a video on social media.

“It was a lot of fun. I lost against two pros but I won against my brother, so it was worth it,” he added with a laugh.

“Wemby” first started playing chess when he was seven and said he hoped to bring together other NBA players with a passion for the game.

He suggested an NBA players’ chess tournament, with proceeds going to charity.

On the court, Wembanyama and the Spurs will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec 29 (Dec 30, Singapore time).

As the Timberwolves continue to search for the best way to build a game plan around Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, they get another chance to unleash the duo in a home matchup against the improving Spurs (16-15) in Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves (16-14) have been treading water this season but head home after a rousing 113-112 road victory over the Houston Rockets on Dec 27.

Edwards nailed a three-pointer with 23.2 seconds to play to cap a 23-6 closing run as Minnesota won their second straight game after losing three in a row.

“It was getting a little more gritty on defence, getting a little more into the ball, and then keeping them to one shot,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said, about his team’s fourth-quarter surge.

“We really looked for each other, got clean looks and shared the ball in the right way instead of trying to take it all on by ourselves.”

Randle led the Timberwolves with 27 points, with Edwards racking up 13 of his 24 points in the first quarter. Donte DiVincenzo chipped in 22 points off the bench.

It was the first time Minnesota scored 110 or more points in regulation since a 120-117 win at home over the Phoenix Suns on Nov 17, a span of 16 games. The win marked the Timberwolves’ largest fourth-quarter road comeback since 2003.

“Finchy’s been doing a great job,” Edwards said about his coach. “He’s been coaching his butt off as far as the rotations, the ins and outs of the subs, finding how to play me and Julius together and then flip-flop us in minutes.”

Meanwhile, San Antonio acting coach Mitch Johnson has favoured a “small-ball”, nine-man rotation over the past two games that gives the Spurs a quicker group on the floor with the game on the line.

“There are a lot of guys that can switch and be versatile on defence and then play fast offensively,” Johnson said, adding that “we’re trying some things out”.
REUTERS