Cross-Sport Initiative: Squash as Chess on Court

For the second year in a row, I had the privilege of representing US Chess at US Squash events in Philadelphia, PA at the Arlen Specter Center. As the Director of Programs for US Chess, my job is to build connections between chess and other communities.

Last year, squash players and their families flocked to our chess boards between matches, and I’ve been told by US Squash officials that players have continued to use the boards we donated on a weekly basis.

When the center is open for members to drop in, the boards are readily available. I was told that they bring them out during events as well. As squash at the Specter Center continues to grow, chess can be included in academic enrichment programming during school-day afternoons as well.

So, this year, I came back with 10 more boards (up from last year’s five), and attended both US Squash Middle School Nationals (Jan. 30 through Feb. 1) and Squash and Education Alliance (SEA) Team Nationals for at-risk youth from Feb. 6 through 8 to collaborate with US Squash and promote educational programming.

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Chess has become part of the regular programming at the Arlen Specter Center in Philadelphia, and this year DeVaughn Croxton came with more boards and magazines.

Participation in chess and squash each correlate with positive academic outcomes that help students become strong thinkers as well as strong athletes. It’s not surprising, then, that squash players are drawn to chess, and since squash is a quickly growing sport in the U.S., we hope to see a squash-to-chess (and chess-to-squash!) pipeline develop.

Both weekends, participants of all ages and genders came to the chess tables to play me, each other, and their families. Across both events, every kid was eager to play chess in between their matches and would frequently bring their friends, coaches, or parents over as well. Younger and older kids all engaged with the chess tables and at no point did I have to entice any students to come and play: The tables were constantly active, with some players learning how the pieces move while others showed comfort with tactical and strategic themes.

We also had a special guest volunteer who bridges the worlds of squash and chess: Yohan Ghosh. Ghosh is a 13-year-old from New Jersey who enjoys both chess and squash. An expert rated 2040, Ghosh is currently ranked 48th nationally for his age. He actually began playing squash about two years ago after hearing it described as “chess on court.” He has been steadily developing his squash game through junior competitions and now competes in the Under-15 category.

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Yohan Ghosh (L) squares off against DeVaughn Croxton. Ghosh is ranked #48 nationally among 13-year-olds in chess and is rising in the squash ranks as well. (Photo by Kasey Shamis)

All weekend, Ghosh was with me to talk to other squash competitors about how chess thinking can translate to on-court decision-making, and I learned a lot from him, too.

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US Squash Executive Director Kim Clearkin with Yohan Ghosh and DeVaughn Croxton.

What makes squash and chess a good match? As an individual sport, squash emphasizes both competition and accountability. US Squash’s Code of Conduct emphasizes that, “The difference between winning and losing fairly is in the hands and control of each player, regardless of the officials involved.” Similarly, in chess, even when a tournament director is required to adjudicate a decision, ultimately it is up to competitors to balance the many elements that are uniquely in their control.

Additionally, chess and squash are both gaining momentum at the scholastic and collegiate levels. While not an NCAA-sponsored sport, squash is played competitively at over 60 American colleges and universities. This is similar to the number of colleges and universities competing in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship, which has also been growing year after year.

Both chess and squash are activities that require minimal equipment to compete at a high level, with squash needing only a four-walled court, a ball, and a racket. This isn’t much more than a board, pieces, and clock, especially if you have access to a facility with a court.

But these are parallels that are true between chess and most any individual sport or activity. With squash, the real comparisons are strategic.

Squash is the only racquet sport where both competitors share the same physical space, rather than facing off on opposite sides of the net. Similarly, in chess, all 64 squares are up for grabs. We’ve all pushed a pawn too far and been punished for it. But we’ve also all gotten positions that were cramped to the point of being unplayable. In squash, players are physically jockeying over space with the same strategic concerns in mind.

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Team USA's Marina Stefanoni is a professional squash player from Stamford, CT who competed as a student at Harvard. (Photo by Kasey Shamis)

Specifically, watching matches over the past two weeks, I was struck by how squash and chess both require creativity in the form of backwards maneuvering. In squash, 33% of movement is backwards. Not only does this work out different muscles, but it also requires quick decision-making to break away from building forward momentum. Think of knights moving backwards, not to defend other pieces, but to shoot out on a new circuit in unexpected ways.

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Team USA's Olivia Weaver also competed in college as a student at Princeton. (Photo by Kasey Shamis)

Given all of this strategic overlap, it makes sense why squash players were racing to the chess boards between their matches. It’s hard to turn your mind off after a tough competition in anything, and chess allows these athletes to continue strategizing and fighting for space while resting their legs before the next match.

This collaboration is part of a larger initiative — the Cross-Sport Initiative — aiming to build strategic partnerships between chess and other sports. Look for more articles exploring the connections between chess and other sports in the future.