Do you think Cricketers are only limited to cricket? No, they play other sports too! Many cricketers have displayed their passion for various sports, and one of them is chess. Strategic & a patient teaching sport. So, here we present to you "Top 10 Cricketers with chess skills".
1. Yuzvendra Chahal
He is the only person to play chess and cricket, both at international levels representing India in chess during his younger years. Chahal played chess from 1997 to 2003. He is the only international cricketer to have an Elo rating of 1956 on the International Chess Federation website, which is quite remarkable, given he has not played competitive chess for an extended period. He has beaten A.B. De Villiers, Siraj, and Sundar while playing on three different boards. He is the one to beat Ish Sodhi by 3-0. He is still ranked among the top 85k in the world.
2. Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff is one of the two people in the world to play chess and cricket at higher levels. When Andrew was younger; he played for his county, he was a keen chess player. He was a great English all-rounder whose career got affected due to injuries.
3. Sourav Ganguly
2016. Ganguly is known to play chess at various inaugurals. He also played against the current world no. 1 chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen in 2016. He has faced many other legends in friendly matches, like Viswanathan Anand, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, etc.
4. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin enjoys chess. We know this not just because he said so but because he has gone so far as to make a series of online videos with Grandmaster RB Ramesh titled “Learn the Basics of Chess.” He has been spotted playing chess, in his spare time.
5. Ish Sodhi
He is a right-arm leg spinner from New Zealand. Although of Indian origin, born in Punjab. He plays a lot of chess. He became famous for this while competing with another spinner (named higher on this list).
6. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
If cricket is a Religion in India, then MSD is one of the gods! He, has played chess only at a recreational level, but his strategic planning improves his chess skills and quid pro quo. This makes him one of the ten cricketers with excellent chess skills.
7. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble often bowls with the aggression of a fast bowler, as he was in his teens, but with the fierce concentration of a chess player. So, he was titled, “a matador in the guise of a chess player” He also played a lot of chess to relax at home during his retirement period.
8. Ab. De Villiers
He is the most skillful cricketer of this era. He played many sports like Hockey, Table-Tennis, Golf, Swimming, Tennis, Chess, etc. He is one of the most successful South African captains. He has the varied skillset.
9. Viv Richardson
Sir Viv Richardson was an outstanding cricketer representing West Indies. He is idealized not only by his fans but also by his fellow cricketers. In the photo above, his chess skills are visible how he bet Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh, as posted by Sehwag.
10. Brendon Mccullum
One of the most fearless batters in the world. He has displayed interest in chess and mentioned it as one of his favorites. He has never played chess professionally but plays it as a pastime.
