‘Harder than losing in basketball:’ NBA legend Derrick Rose on his chess obsession and how it could save lives

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — On the face of it, playing chess and competing in the NBA couldn’t be further apart.

One requires monk-like levels of silent concentration – particularly in classical chess – while the other demands physical dominance, peak athleticism and the ability to stay composed in a frenzied atmosphere.

But it seems there is more that links the two sports than initially meets the eye – just ask NBA legend Derrick Rose.

The 2011 NBA MVP has been leading a new and unlikely collaboration between the worlds of chess and professional basketball.

Rose recently teamed up with Magnus Carlsen’s Freestyle Chess to host a tournament, which involved top names from both disciplines. Players such as Golden State Warriors forward Quinten Post and Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams competed with and against several chess grandmasters in the 2025 Chesstival in Las Vegas.

NBA players partnered up with chess grandmasters in a Head & Hand format, where the chess star would name a piece and the basketball pro would decide where to move it. The NBA players then went head to head in a separate blitz tournament.

Rose took part in the tournament himself and he’s already planning on hosting a similar event again. The experience, he says, has helped him continue his education within the game.

It’s a passion that he started developing during his own basketball career and one that quickly turned into an obsession.

“I think just the thrill of knowing the possibilities is like no other game in the world,” he tells CNN Sports, adding that he initially picked up the game because of its cognitive health benefits.

“You get three million or four million possibilities right after the first move. And with me learning that knowledge early on, it kind of intrigued me.”

Chess dreams

Rose says he had to take a step back from the game during his career in the NBA, with his new-found hobby taking up too much of his energy.

It got to the point where he would even picture his chess games in his sleep.

“The dreams were very intense, and while I was playing basketball, I never wanted anything to come equal to that, or jump that,” he says.

“Chess was kind of doing that. I’d be up late at night trying to play one game, then I’d look up, it’s two in the morning, and I got to be up at seven for treatment.”

With the world of chess riding the wave of a huge popularity boom in recent years, the game is increasingly collaborating more with mainstream leagues.

A number of high profile soccer and NFL stars have expressed their enthusiasm for chess, with several athletes from across a variety of sports crediting it with helping their own profession.

Rose is no different, insisting that learning the patterns and chess openings helped him see the basketball court a little differently.

“It teaches me to be mindful of every move,” he explains, clearly excited to talk about his love for chess.

“It taught me that every move counts and every choice is an option, and within every option, you have to make a decision.

“The fun thing about it is getting your ass kicked and coming back to the board and having a totally different scheme or style of play.

“I feel like over the years, I was just moving the pieces, but now I’m able to set up a gambit, or set up a trap. It taught me a lot, and I’m very, very fortunate that I found the game early on in my career.”

How chess helps athletes

Judit Polgár was one of the chess grandmasters playing at the tournament in July – she and Williams actually won the Head & Hand competition. Polgár, who was a trailblazer for women in chess, was impressed with the level of the NBA players and agreed it could help their game.

“I think chess can be pretty good for empowering your concentration skills. It is also very good on how you adjust your brain with the different situations,” she tells CNN Sports.

“Also to learn resilience, to never give up, because you fight on and anything can happen. Your opponent can also make a mistake, and then you’re bouncing back and catching the opportunity.”

Rose seemed destined for greatness when he came into the NBA. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2008-09, crowned league MVP in 2011 and made three All-Star teams before an ACL injury suffered in the 2012 playoffs began a series of injuries that altered his career trajectory.

Rose still went on to have a solid career, going on to play in front of millions of fans during his time in the league for the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies before retiring last year.

But sit the Chicago native in front of a chess board and the 6-foot-3-inch former point guard still gets nervous, even if he’s just playing with friends.

He now plays whenever he can, be it online or on the numerous boards he owns.

Perhaps surprisingly, Rose says that losing in chess hurts a little more than failing to win on the basketball court used to.

“It’s heartbreaking when you do lose in person,” he says. “Losing in chess is a lot harder than losing in basketball. It’s crazy for me to say that, but I feel like chess is more intimate, I don’t know why.

“With my friends, whenever I lose early on, or whenever I lose a game, it just gets to me.”

Chess can save lives

So while chess for Rose has been an avenue to scratch his competitive itch since retiring, the 36-year-old says it can help everyone in their day-to-day lives.

He has encouraged his own children to learn the sport and is happy to open the game up to audiences that might not have had access to it before.

He’s confident that the game of chess can help children from less privileged areas get out of trouble – even to the point where it could save lives.

“Most kids now, they’re reacting instead of thinking, from the areas that I grew up in. That decision may cost them their life depending on the situation that they’re in,” he says.

“So I always want them to be patient, be mindful, and to know that you have to think moves down the line. Your first initial thought, or your first move may not be your best thought right away. So it’s always thinking past that moment.

“I want kids to know how precious their life is, and I think the game of chess teaches you a lot about life, a lot about being strategic and organizing yourself as a young man growing up in these harsh environments.”

The-CNN-Wire
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