It has been a strange Six Nations but stand by for the most improbable news of the lot. A craze for playing chess – yes, chess – is sweeping through the England amp and there is an unexpected candidate for the grandmaster. Step forward Manu Tuilagi, vying to be English rugby’s king of the chequered board.
Magnus Carlsen, the chess world champion, is not believed to be under imminent threat but, since taking up the game during the World Cup in Japan, Tuilagi has been brushing aside opponents almost as convincingly as he does on the field. Only the wing Jonny May is presenting much of an obstacle, with the pair on level terms heading into the championship’s closing rounds.
According to Tuilagi’s fellow centre Henry Slade, the rest of the squad are mere pawns compared with the big man. “I have only played him a couple of times and it has lasted about 30 seconds each time,” Slade said. “He is unbelievable at it.
“Once he starts something he wants to be really good and he has put a lot of hours into it. I haven’t played much before so it was a bit of a rude awakening.”
Lewis Ludlam, Ellis Genge, Ollie Thorley and George Kruis have also been playing while on England duty, while chess is emerging as an increasingly popular pastime at Tuilagi’s club Leicester, where May is also based.
Tuilagi rates his teammate but confirms his personal approach to chess is “pretty much the same” as his rugby. “If I’m playing white I’ll attack. If you’re in white you have the opportunity to attack first. When you attack you have to go all in. As soon as you let your foot off the gas you’ll be losing.”
Those who know Tuilagi best have long insisted he is a smarter rugby player than his physicality may suggest and, after battling back from assorted injuries, the midfielder is also a more mature figure than in his younger days. Brute force alone will not win Test matches and the 28-year-old is looking to out-think the Wales midfield on Saturday as well as flatten them.
That objective, he believes, has been aided by the return to fitness of Slade, whose excellent passing game and angles of running dovetail nicely with his more straightforward strengths. “He’s an outstanding player,” Tuilagi said. “If he’s on the field I just give him the ball and try to follow him around. Run, kick, pass, offload – there’s a lot of options.”
It seems the admiration is mutual. “I think we work well together,” Slade said. “We have different strengths and weaknesses and complement each other nicely.
“He’s a massive bloke, so he gets us over the gainline really well and defensively, if you run into him, he will hit you bloody hard. When the defence is right in front of us, I just give it to him. When there is a bit more space hopefully he gives it to me.”
Checkmate at Twickenham? England are hoping so.