Eze does it: England footballer wins celebrity chess tournament
Eberechi Eze has followed up his starring role in Crystal Palace's FA Cup semi-final win with another personal success: first place in an online celebrity chess tournament.
The 26-year-old England international, who scored as Palace beat Villa 3-0 at Wembley last month, won Chess.com's four-day, 12-player amateur PogChamps tournament, involving athletes and content creators.
Advertisement
Eze beat the American YouTuber Sapnap 2-0 in the final, livestreamed on Twitch, winning the $20,000 (£15,000) top prize. Chess.com said Eze 'showed that he's as good at defending as he is at attacking', taking advantage of Sapnap who 'missed a key attacking idea, which led to an unfortunate brain fart and piece blunder'.
Eze is a relative newcomer to chess, having been taught the game by his former Palace teammate Michael Olise. He told The Athletic in 2023 that Olise, now at Bayern Munich, had introduced him and his brother to the game at the club's training ground. 'That's when I started studying the game, watching YouTube videos of the best chess openings, things like that. We're always playing something at the training ground.'
Palace will face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on 17 May, aiming to win the club's first major trophy. The Football Association announced on Saturday that the game will kick-off at 4.30pm BST.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
McKeown cruises to 100m backstroke crown at Australian trials
Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown cruised to the 100 backstroke title at the Australian world championship trials (Brenton Edwards) Olympic gold medallist Kaylee McKeown eased to the 100m backstroke title at the Australian trials on Monday as she builds towards another showdown with American arch-rival Regan Smith at the Singapore world championships. McKeown, whose world record was taken by Smith last year, coasted home at Adelaide in 57.71 seconds ahead of Olympic 200m freestyle champion Mollie O'Callaghan (58.85), who also qualified. Advertisement McKeown and Smith share the 20 fastest times in history with their showdown at the worlds in Singapore next month shaping as another major highlight in their storied rivalry. "There's still a lot of work that needs to go in, but that's just where I am at the moment," said McKeown, who holds the world record in the 50m and 200m backstroke. "I had a really good underwater, so happy with that." Fresh off an eye-opening performance in the 200m medley on Monday night, Ella Ramsay also qualified for the 100m breaststroke in 1:06.86. But Ramsay -- now under the wing of British breaststroke king Adam Peaty's ex-coach Mel Marshall -- was stunned by another young prospect in 16-year-old Sienna Toohey who clocked a career-best 1:06.55. Advertisement "I'm so excited because I've worked so hard. I was so nervous," said Toohey, who was in tears afterwards. Another fast-improving star is Alex Perkins, who posted a sizzling personal best to win the 100m butterfly on Monday and make the plane to Singapore next month. She followed it up with the second fastest time ever by an Australian in the 50m butterfly heats and went even faster to win the final in 25.36. Lily Price, second to Perkins in the 100m butterfly, repeated the feat over 50m with both women potential medal prospects. "It's good to be able to convert faster from heats to finals," said Perkins. "I felt like I nailed my race plan." Advertisement Only American Gretchen Walsh has swum quicker than Perkins this year. Another new talent announced himself in the men's 200m freestyle with 20-year-old Ed Sommerville scorching to the wall in 1:44.93, the world's second fastest this year behind German ace Lukas Maertens. Sam Short, who had already secured his ticket to Singapore in the 400m freestyle, qualified in second. "I'm glad to show what I can do," said Sommerville, who has had success in short-course swimming but was competing in his first long-course 200m freestyle in two years. mp/dh
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Crystal Palace's Kamada hits double as Japan thrash Indonesia
Daichi Kamada was on target as Japan beat Indonesia in World Cup qualifying in Osaka on Tuesday (STR) Crystal Palace forward Daichi Kamada scored twice as Japan rounded off their successful World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-0 thrashing of Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia in Osaka on Tuesday. Kamada, an FA Cup winner with Palace in England this season, struck twice in the first half as already qualified Japan finished the campaign as Group C winners, scoring 30 goals in their 10 matches. Advertisement Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and substitute Mao Hosoya were also on target against Indonesia, who finished fourth in the group. Kluivert's side, who were backed by a large travelling support in Japan, advance to a further round with five other teams to decide two more Asian qualifiers for next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Japan lost their unbeaten qualifying record in a 1-0 defeat away to Australia last week, with coach Hajime Moriyasu fielding an experimental line-up with qualification already in the bag. He started with two more debutants against Indonesia, handing first caps to defender Junnosuke Suzuki and winger Shunsuke Mito. Advertisement Kamada opened the scoring in the 15th minute, heading home from a Mito cross. The Palace forward turned provider for his team's second, combining with Kubo before the Real Sociedad man fired past Indonesia goalkeeper Emil Audero. Indonesia lost defender Kevin Diks to injury midway through the first half and his replacement Yakob Sayuri lasted only 15 minutes before he also had to go off after a clash of heads. Kamada scored Japan's third on the stroke of half-time, waltzing through the Indonesia defence before tucking the ball over Audero. Morishita volleyed home at the back post in the 55th minute for his first international goal. Machino and Hosoya also got on the scoresheet as Japan continued to squeeze Indonesia until the final whistle. amk/dh
Buzz Feed
30 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
Scooter Braun Gives Update On Justin Bieber Relationship
In 2008, a then-25-year-old Scooter Braun stumbled upon a talented 13-year-old Canadian kid singing Ne-Yo on YouTube. That teen turned out to be Justin Bieber, who would quickly go on to become one of the most famous people in the world. Throughout his rise the 2010s, Justin continued to be managed by Scooter, and the two were pretty much inseparable, even amid the ups and downs of JB's public image at the height of his fame. Scooter became one of the most prolific managers in the music business, taking on other clients like Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Kanye West. So, in 2023, when rumors surfaced that he and Justin were no longer working together, fans had a lot of questions. Justin and Scooter's professional breakup was confirmed by People on June 16, 2024, and a day later, Scooter announced that he was retiring from management entirely. Now, nearly a year later, Scooter has reflected on his and Justin's decision to part ways after 15 years together, saying on the Diary of a CEO podcast this week that their relationship is 'not that same that it was.' 'We worked together for so long and we had such extreme success,' Scooter said, giving some insight into Justin's desire for a new direction. 'I think you get to a point as a man where you want to show the world you can do it on your own, and I completely respect that. I think, at this point, that's what he's doing. And myself and everyone from the old team is rooting for him.' Scooter's comments come amid a lot of speculation and concern for Justin's well-being. The 31-year-old singer — who shares a 1-year-old son, Jack, with his wife, Hailey Bieber — has been the topic of many conversations due to his unusual online behavior, including cryptic posts about relationships, business, and religion. In February, his representatives spoke out to refute speculation he's using drugs. As for his professional life, Justin, who is said to be working with a new team since his split from Scooter, has not released a new album since 2021, and in 2023, he sold his nearly 300-song music catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for a reported $200 million. In April, Justin's reps also denied rumors that he is in 'financial distress,' and prior to that, his team assured fans that he is doing well personally and professionally. In a statement given to Rolling Stone in February, a spokesperson for the singer said that the past year has been 'very transformative for him as he ended several close friendships and business relationships that no longer served him.' When asked if it 'hurt' when Justin wanted to part ways, Scooter said on the podcast that he was also ready for something new. 'At that point, it had been a couple of years where I knew I wanted to do something else, and I wanted to find out who I was,' he said. 'We were both communicating enough with each other…The writing was on the wall.' It's wild how things change... You can find Scooter's full appearance on the Diary of a CEO podcast here.
