The international break just got really weird for Liverpool as Trent Alexander-Arnold publicly tried his hand at a different sport.
We’re all used to seeing Instagram posts of footballers in a new, fancy location during the international break, right? This is the done thing, is it not?
People who are paid to kick a ball while their feet aren’t mean to engage in mentally stimulating pass-times and they definitely aren’t meant to take on world chess champions just for the fun of it.
But that’s exactly what Liverpool youngster Alexander-Arnold did as he was beaten in five minutes by Magnus Carlsen, who took 17 moves to show why he is the reigning champ. I told you things got weird.
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Games of chess can normally take hours to complete, but nobody would have expected anything other than a quick, fast one between the two.
Despite the off-beat nature of the engagement, it’s also encouraging to see a youngster take such a keen interest in something that can only help him going forward. Chess is a highly strategic game in which every decision is scrutinized under a microscope. Sound a bit like the Premier League?
It’s also one that TAA has been playing since he was young, said the BBC. And he came away from the clash with praise from Carlsen, and also a promise to himself to play more.
That will surely please manager Jurgen Klopp, who is trying to raise of squad of good blokes and good players.
‘I think Bill Gates only got nine moves against him, so I think I’ve got a few bragging rights’: Liverpool fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold takes on world chess champion Magnus Carlsen https://t.co/vKZh6GOD5G pic.twitter.com/pNecOB3uab
— ITV News (@itvnews) October 8, 2018
“You need a knowledge of the game and the surroundings. That’s important. To see something before it happens and read it best,” the defender told the Independent‘s Jonathan Liew. Keep going with that chess and Alexander-Arnold might be able to see that danger and cut it out before the opposition even knew it was a danger.