I Played Chess With Wemby
A firsthand account from Washington Square Park.
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I was minding my business on a Saturday morning when I saw this tweet from San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama:
Wemby plays chess??? And wants to play at 9:36 am in the rain on the weekend???
Apparently! So!
Sure enough, Wemby did show up to Washington Square Park to play chess with a few lucky opponents.
There’s something so…Timothée Chalamet-coded about this whole thing.
While Wemby didn’t make a surprise appearance at a lookalike contest, playing chess in Washington Square Park comes in a close second. Maybe tied with doing one of those man-on-the-street interviews with a tiny microphone.
Regardless, I think the Bob Dylan-playing, statistics-rapping boyfriend of Kylie Jenner would approve.
Photos began coming in of Wemby hunched over a table, playing chess with pieces that look miniature with his stature.
One of the first videos I saw was of Max Haskell sitting across from Wemby, with a crowd watching them play.
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I connected with Haskell over email (h/t ArtButMakeItSports for the intro) to learn what it was actually like playing Wemby in chess.
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Enjoy our conversation and Happy (Early) New Year!
What It’s Like Playing Chess With Wemby
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. You can follow Haskell on X here and Instagram here.
First off, can you give me a little backstory on how long you've been playing chess and what got you into the game?
My mum's Russian, so chess was a rite of passage for me from a very early age. That said, I really became passionate and determined to grow my game during COVID.
How often do you play in Washington Square Park?
It was my debut appearance at Washington Square Park. I've been to Bryant Park a few times, but I'm more of an online chess man myself. I play daily on Lichess.
Walk me through the day you played chess with Wemby. Were you already at Washington Square Park before he arrived? When did he know he was coming?
I was returning from the grocery store, enjoying a lovely morning, when I saw Wemby had posted a tweet, 26 minutes old, asking if anyone wanted to meet him at the "SW corner of Washington Square Park" to play chess. Next thing I know, I'm on a Citi bike, turning a nine-minute ride into five.
I actually showed up with two mini chess boards to indicate that I knew the game (I had them in the Citi bike basket), but since I arrived to a fairly sparse crowd, it didn't take all too much beyond me asking where the line to play was.
One of Wemby's crew noticed and asked for my rating. I gave it, and the next thing I knew, I'm sat across Victor Wembanyama.
I've got to give a shoutout to my friend Avery, who essentially teleported to get there in time to share the moment with me.
Were you a fan of Wemby before you played him in chess?
I'm a massive NBA fan, so I would've been delighted to play PJ Washington or TJ McConnell, let alone Victor Wembanyama.
Look, the basketball speaks for itself with Wemby. I think what's less noted is his thoughtfulness as an interviewee. He's really insightful in his perspective on the game.
On a more random note, he's extremely flexible, and I theorize that's his secret sauce (aside from his measurements) to his shot-blocking specifically. Definitely think he'll be MVP at least twice in his career.
What is he like as an opponent?
He was decent! Would estimate he has a 1000-1100 ELO on Chess.com.
In your opinion, is Wemby just as good as a chess player as he is a basketball player
Sadly not (he's human!), but he clearly has the willpower to improve his game. Might be tough for him to find the time, though.
Who won the match?
Delighted to say that I won the match.
I must ask: Who is your favorite NBA team?
The Washington Wizards. I bleed Wiz.
Are there any other aspects of the experience that you think my readers might want to know?
Just that Wemby is a great bloke and clearly appreciates going beyond his comfort zone. He was accommodating and finished our game despite the material imbalance against him. That's likely a testament to his competitive resilience.
I look forward to hosting him for the rematch.
If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. This newsletter is free, but consider becoming a paying subscriber for $6/month to support the work that I’m doing.
For partnership inquiries or to just say hello, email madeline@impersonalfoul.com.
Interviews like this are why I happily subscribe to your newsletter.
amazing!!!