While fitness, technique and endurance are key elements for any top athlete, the ability to think, adapt and outwit your opponents is equally important.
Former Barcelona coach Quique Setién was attracted to chess because of its rules, positions and tactics.
“Chess is very similar to football in that the pieces are offensive and defensive, and controlling the center of the board is crucial,” he explains.
Compatriot Alcaraz also said it was good for his game in a 2018 interview with Vogue, saying: “You have to have a gut feeling about where the other player is going to pass the ball, you have to move early and try to do things that make him uncomfortable. So I do that. [chess] a lot of. “
Payne believes the benefits for athletes are twofold.
“A lot of them find it a good way to rest, but Mohamed Salah says it helps his football,” he told BBC Sport.
“I once coached Boris Becker and he said it sometimes helped him plan and think more strategically during tennis matches. When he started coaching [Novak] Djokovic, I noticed the two of them used to play a lot.
“It’s about thinking ahead and trying to identify key moments. [that are important] Because in chess you have to stay calm, and if you let your emotions get in the way, you’re screwed. “
The competitive nature of chess also attracts players who are used to competing at an elite level.
“It appeals to people because it’s a form of the game,” Emil Sutovsky, chief executive of the International Chess Federation (Fide), told BBC Sport.
“If you are a chess player, you are competing. Chess embodies a combination of strategic thinking and concrete decision-making about every move, similar to life, career, and sport.
“I remember Carlos Alcaraz mentioning several times that he played chess and that it helped him plan his game in tennis.
“Professional athletes appreciate chess because they are very competitive by nature, and chess is very competitive,” he added.
