Kids look up to celebrities because of their feats on the court, on the microphone, in front of the camera, etc. They say things like, “I want to be a famous actor just like (Insert famous actor here) I want to play ball just like (Insert ball player here). It is also common for kids to idolize these celebrities to the degree of mimicking their habits and actions outside of their respective occupations. This led me to think: it will benefit parents and teachers to know what celebrities play chess that their kids may have heard of; this way, you will have ammo to entice your kids into playing chess. Here are 5 celebrities that play chess that your kids should know.
Jaylen Brown- Boston Celtics (NBA)
Jaylen Brown is a professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association (NBA) who recently won his first NBA championship with the Boston Celtics. Jaylen Brown was the captain of his High School chess team while being a star athlete. According to an article written by the NBA, he said that he plays chess to learn how people's brains work because he loves it. Luckily for you, Chess.com offers for you and your kid(s) to play against Jaylen Brown in computer form! Follow the link to play Jaylen Brown.
Luka Doncic- Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
Luka Doncic is a professional basketball player as well for the Dallas Mavericks. He and his team made it to the NBA finals, but lost to the other NBA player on the list: Jaylen Brown. I wonder how they would fare against each other in a chess game? We may never know, but you and your kids can see how you stack up against the Luka AI bot on chess.com!
Mr Beast- Content Creator/Chess player
MrBeast, is YouTuber, online personality, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is known for his fast-paced and high-production videos, which feature elaborate challenges and large giveaways. With over 284 million subscribers, he is currently the most-subscribed channel on YouTube and participated in the PogChamps 3 and PogChamps 4 chess events. Try to defeat Mr. Beast at chess!
Pokimane- Twitch Streamer
Pokimane is famous live streamer. She is best known for her live streams on Twitch, where she broadcasts video game content, most notably in League of Legends and Fortnite. She is currently the most-followed female streamer on the platform. She is a also co-founder of OfflineTV, an online social entertainment group of content creators. She participated in the record-breaking BlockChamps chess event and also took part in PogChamps 3. Can you beat this chess streamer?
Sonic Fox- Pro Gamer
SonicFox is a six-time EVO champion, having won Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2014, Mortal Kombat X in 2015 and 2016, Dragon Ball FighterZ in 2018, Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019 and Skullgirls in 2022. They are also a two-time Injustice 2 Pro Series champion in 2017 and 2018, the first ever Final Kombat champion for MK11 in 2020, and the champion of the Skullgirls Championship Series in 2024. They have also left their mark in other games like Dead or Alive, Under Night In-Birth, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite and Soulcalibur VI. You may not be able to beat him at fighting games, but you should try to beat him at chess!
Sometimes it take a bit of encouragement from you kid's favorite celebrities to get them to do what you want. What is guaranteed is that after you get your students hooked onto chess, it grants them a gift of lifelong learning of valuable skills, just ask Jaylen Brown. If you want your kid to be the next NBA champion, book chess lessons today.
Resources
Audilet, M. (2024b). Jaylen Brown’s Remarkable Academic Achievements Are Going Viral. MSN. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/jaylen-browns-remarkable-academic-achievements-are-going-viral/ar-BB1mNq
MrBeast: Celebrities. Chess.com. (n.d.). https://www.chess.com/players/mrbeast
Petterson, M. (2016). Jaylen Brown’s Remarkable Academic Achievements Are Going Viral. Nba.com. 2024, https://www.nba.com/suns/blog/jaylen-brown-hoops-chess-and-becoming-best
Pokimane: Celebrity. Chess.com. (2024). https://www.chess.com/players/pokimane
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, June 18). Luka Dončić. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Don%C4%8Di%C4%87
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024c, June 18). MrBeast. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MrBeast
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024a, June 16). Pokimane. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokimane
YouTube. (2023, August 11). Levy and SonicFox checkmate their opponent together!. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DTkwWYN_dc
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