If you’re looking for some chess Entertainment, we have The Real Thing. Chess.com is excited to announce our newest bot, Phoenix lead singer Thomas Mars! You can challenge the new bot by going to our Play Computer page. But beware—Thomas’ bot is On Fire, so you better be ready to face his Funky Squaredance!
The singer recently sat down with IM Levy Rozman at the Marshall Chess Club in New York to play and talk about chess, music, and Phoenix:
A prominent figure in the French indie pop scene, Thomas is also an avid chess player. “My family would play a lot of chess. We were not that good, but it was a social thing,” Thomas said. “I would play with my older brother, my dad, my sister… My mom was very competitive.”
However, Thomas’ passion was truly ignited during the 2020 pandemic. The singer found in ches a new and safe activity to spend time with his loved ones. “I played every day with my dad, just to stay in touch… I started to play everywhere, like when I was commuting, on airplanes, and stuff.”
I played every day with my dad, just to stay in touch… I started to play everywhere.
— Thomas Mars
Phoenix is going on tour in Europe this May to celebrate the 15th anniversary of one of their most successful albums, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. This is the perfect opportunity for you to crank the album’s two most popular songs, Lisztomania and 1901, while trying to checkmate the new bot!
