good morning —
Premier League footballers have many interests: automobiles, parks, things like that. They also enjoy a bit of chess.
Mo Salah, Philippe Coutinho, Sergio Busquets and others all claim to play their fair share of chess. Joining their ranks is Tottenham’s very own Radu Dragusin.
The man-bunned dynamo recently played against Swedish chess master Anna Cramling, the daughter of two grandmasters. Needless to say, chess is in her blood.
The game starts simply enough, with Cramling moving her pawn to the centre of the table. One of the core principles of chess for beginners, I learned, is how important it is to dominate the middle of the table. More on my chess acuity later.
Things take a pretty dire turn for Dragusin in the middle game, when Cramling lures out his Queen. They exchange pieces, but her bishop remains in a deadly position. After Cramling brings out her light-squared bishop on the table, Dragusin tries to protect his lone pawn but instead offers her a mate-in-two.
Check mate in 2:33.
That’s pretty stressful, and probably a whole lot better than fitzie would fare. I only have a 621 rating in the five-minute games, trying to rebuild it after losing almost 10 in a row earlier this week.
My overall win percentage is pretty darn bad. It took me some time to get used to chess and its dynamics. At one point my rating flirted with 150. I also frequently lose against one hoddler her. There’s always at least one mistake in me when I play, I’ve noticed.
Fitzie’s track of the day: Gun Metal Grey, by The Budos Band
And now for your links:
BBC with an analysis on how England could line up under Thomas Tuchel and other questions
World Cup could be glory-or-bust for Tuchel
MLS boss says FIFA lawsuit could spark talks over calendar woes
