Klay Thompson's talents extend further than basketball. It was recently revealed that the sharpshooting guard from the Golden State Warriors plays chess almost every day.
As reported by Ben Cohen of the Wall Street Journal, Thompson shared how he was introduced to chess and what type of satisfaction he gets from it. He recalled taking chess class back in college:
“I took it as an elective just to waste time,” he said.
He added:
“And then I realized, wow, this is actually really fun,” Thompson said. “Just for an hour, to be with your friends, hang out and play chess. It was probably the best class I’ve ever had.”
Thompson also pointed out one of the similarities that chess has with basketball. Akin to basketball, a game of chess can immediately change momentum once a player messes up:
“I just love how there can be so many swings,” Thompson said, “and it can take one move to mess up the whole flow.”
In fact, Thompson loved the game so much that he introduced himself to Magnus Carlsen, the 27-year-old Norwegian grandmaster.
“That guy’s smart,” he said. “Understatement that he’s smart. He’s a genius.” And he took advantage of the opportunity to request advice on his openings. “He said he’d sit down and teach me some things one day.”
“He’d play blindfolded and backward,” Thompson said, “and still beat me.”
Perhaps this is the secret to Thompson's game. He's known to be a silent killer; one of the best shooters in the league. Though we only see him once he goes up for the shot, checking out the replay will reveal that Thompson is constantly on the move, going through the creases of the defense.
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