He’s one of the world’s top strikers and his nation’s greatest-ever goalscorer. But between matches Harry Kane also finds time to dive into the 10-minute pool for a quick game on Chess.com.
The 30-year-old, who plays for England in UEFA’s Euro 2024 tournament on Thursday night, revealed in an interview with GQ Germany magazine that chess is one of his favorite hobbies and he’s already reached a “fairly decent” rating of around 1200.
Kane, whose club side is Bayern Munich, told GQ: “I’ve only been playing probably for a couple of years now. There was a (TV) series that came out—The Queen’s Gambit—and since that came out, I’ve started to learn and I’m about 1200-rated on the 10-minute version on Chess.com. I think that’s ok, it’s fairly decent!”
Kane said his interest has continued since his move to Germany last year from boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur and he’s been playing against some of his teammates at Bayern.
Kane added: “I have some good games with family, a couple of the team play as well. Joshua Kimmich, we had quite a few games. I think Kingsley Coman is the best, but I haven’t actually played him yet. I’ve heard he’s the one to beat so I’m trying to get a bit more practice in before I play King.”
Kane went on: “I use chess just to switch off, you know, it’s such a mental game. You have to focus on every moment, every move.”
Kane hasn’t previously mentioned his love for chess, but he is now the latest in a line of world-class soccer players who have, including four in the German team:
We knew about @MoSalah and Christian @pulisic. As it turns out, the German football team at #euro2024 has four chess fans in the team: Benjamin @Henrichs39, @JoshuaKimmich, @leroy_sane and @JamalMusiala. https://t.co/oaw8PTZfen
— Peter Doggers (@peterdoggers) June 18, 2024
Last year Liverpool star Mohamed Salah revealed he is rated around 1400 and hoped to meet world number-one GM Magnus Carlsen. Salah told Sky Sports: “I play chess, I am addicted to chess. Every day, literally every day.”
The U.S. star Christian Pulisic also appeared on a Champions Chess Tour broadcast in 2022 and met Carlsen at a promotional event for the sports brand PUMA. The pair, both ambassadors for PUMA, sat down for a game and a chat about the similarities between the two sports. Pulisic has since launched a bot you can play on Chess.com.
Kane plays in the same England team as Trent Alexander-Arnold, who took on and lost to Carlsen in 17 moves for a publicity stunt before the 2018 world championship in London.
Alexander-Arnold said at the time: “I was nervous to go up against him because inevitably I was going to get beat, but I am proud of the fact that I made 17 moves. I think the fact that Bill Gates only managed nine is bragging rights for me to take home.”
Kane, along with Kimmich, also plays in the same Bayern team as another chess fan Eric Dier. The defender spoke about his enjoyment of the game when he was with Kane at their former club Tottenham Hotspur.
So if you’re a Chess.com member cheering on your team at UEFA’s Euro 2024 tournament in Germany, Harry Kane is one player you may find yourself up against in the playing arena.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
