In Lexington, basketball isn’t the only game keeping the Wildcats sharp — it’s chess.
This offseason, University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope has turned the hardwood into a chessboard, using strategic showdowns to bond with his players and sharpen their minds. What started as friendly banter has become a defining theme of Kentucky’s team culture — and possibly, its secret weapon.
It all began during the summer when Pope was asked about transfer forward Jayden Quaintance, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered at Arizona State. Rather than discuss injuries, Pope playfully changed the subject: “I don’t want to talk about Jayden Quaintance. He just beat me in a game of chess in like seven minutes,” he joked.
That lighthearted dodge hinted at something deeper. The Wildcats’ offseason has been filled with intense chess battles between coach and players, including sophomore guard Collin Chandler. “We’ve got a little culture on this team,” Pope said. “It’s going to get competitive.”
By the time team media day rolled around, the chess rivalry had become a full-blown obsession. Pope admitted that Quaintance recently “beat me so bad in a game of chess that we invented a new rule where I get to turn the board one time.” Even then, Pope said, “the best I could come out of it with was a draw, barely.”
Quaintance, who learned chess from his father, Haminn, when he was eight, credits the game for improving his mental sharpness — and his relationship with his coach. “I got super into it during the pandemic. Now I’m figuring out how Coach Pope thinks,” he said.
For Chandler, chess mirrors basketball itself. “You’ve got to think ahead and manipulate the defense,” he explained. “It’s about strategy — just like moving pieces on the floor.”
Pope agrees. “I’m not a great chess player,” he admitted. “But I love learning how people think and function. Sitting at a chessboard gives me time with my guys — we talk, we connect, and we learn.”
For a Kentucky squad aiming to return to Final Four glory, that mental edge could prove invaluable. In Pope’s program, every move counts — on the court, and across the chessboard.
