Chesstival: NBA meets Chess

The recent Chesstival event took place on the 13th of July, and it featured NBA players and chess players. The event was organized by the Freestyle Chess investor Jan Henric Buettner and the NBA star Derrick Rose, and it features both chess players and NBA players in the event, where they are split into groups.

_{Image Cover from Freestyle Chess}

Each group comprises a Chess player and an NBA player against another group of the same pairing. This event was done with the mindset to promote the game of chess by using basketball stars and chess grandmasters as collaborative agents in preaching the chess gospel and its benefits.

_{Image from Freestyle Chess}

There were thousands of cash prizes to be won by the players who participated in the event, but these prizes were donated to the charity of the winner's choice. The event kicked off in Wynn Las Vegas on the 13th of July 2025, and it had a huge line-up of stars from the world of chess and the world of basketball. Several grandmasters were present and invited, namely:

1. Magnus Carlsen
2. Hikaru Nakamura
3. Fabiano Caruana
4. Arjun Erigaisi
5. Nodirbek Abdusattorov
6. Leinier Dominguez
7. Vincent Keymer
8. Ian Nepomniachtchi
9. Levon Aronian
10. Wesley So
11. Hans Niemann
12. Vidit Gujrathi
13. Parham Maghsoodloo
14. Javokhir Sindarov
15. Bibisara Assaubayeva

And the NBA players who participated in the event were:

1. Derrick Rose (former NBA MVP)
2. Rajon Rondo (former NBA All‑Star)
3. Tony Snell (Chicago Bulls)
4. Marcus Smart (former NBA standout)
5. Grant Williams (Charlotte Hornets)
6. Quinten Post (Golden State Warriors)
7. Drew Gooden (retired NBA forward)
8. Jeremiah Robinson‑Earl (New Orleans Pelicans)
9. Onyeka Okongwu (Atlanta Hawks)
10. De’Anthony Melton (Memphis Grizzlies)
11. Harrison Ingram (San Antonio Spurs D-League)
12. Paul Reed (Philadelphia 76ers)

The tournament is using a Head and Hand format, where it pairs a grandmaster and an NBA star. The Head calls the name of the piece while the hand decides where to play the piece. The winner of the tournament gets to become the NBA's Ultimate Chess Champion for 2025.

_{Image from Freestyle Chess}

Before I forget to mention it, the Freestyle Chess that was played at this event was chess960, where all the chess pieces were rearranged at random, unlike standard chess.

The event, which was a 5-minute blitz event, was wrapped up in one day on the 13th of July 2025, and Quinten Post was crowned the Blitz Champion with a total of 4.5 points out of 5 points in the tournament.

_{Quinten Post}

Although the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas kicks off today for the invited chess grandmasters and I am excited to see what these players have installed for us all on the chess960 board.

_{Image Cover from Freestyle Chess}

Sincerely, I am looking forward to Bibisara Assaubayeva's performance as she happens to be the only female in the field, and I know that an underestimation from any player against her will cost them dearly, as she isn't an easy walkover on the board. She is even a two-time Blitz champion. Surely it will be more entertaining to see more ladies invited to participate in Freestyle Chess.

As a chess player and a basketball fan, it was amazing to watch this event where these players come together to use chess as a tool for a charitable cause. Obviously I will be expecting more collaborations with chess, musicians have done it, some celebrities have done it, luxurious brands and now NBA stars, I can only wonder what will be next?

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Thanks For Reading!