Cardinals bonding over chess in clubhouse

ST. LOUIS — It’s four hours before first pitch on a recent weekday afternoon, but the competition inside Busch Stadium is already reaching its climax. These particular duels are between players, not teams, and they’re set up around the Cardinals’ clubhouse, St. Louis’ newest chess hub.

In the center of the clubhouse, Mike Leake and Tyler Lyons sit opposite each other. Aledmys Diaz and Seth Maness are deep in thought on the other end of the clubhouse, while Kolten Wong and Jedd Gyorko are trying to outmaneuver one another at yet a third table. Each is trying to avoid making a costly move.

It’s an unusual sight in a 21st century Major League clubhouse, watching players forgo fiddling on cellphones and iPads to instead engage in a strategy game that dates back to the sixth century. And yet, this is the sort of scene now commonplace in the Cardinals’ clubhouse.

A wooden board — dotted by black and cream hand-carved pieces — appeared in the clubhouse in mid-April as a gift from the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Manager Mike Matheny, who appears on local billboards and commercials to promote the center, became an avid chess player after reading research that it helped manage post-concussion symptoms.

When Matheny placed the board in the clubhouse, curiosity drew his players to it. Now, they’re captivated.

“We set it in there, didn’t know exactly how guys would take to it,” Matheny said. “Now, you have to put up one of those number ticket things to get on the table.”

In fact, the Cardinals quickly supplemented the handcrafted board with two cheaper ones, allowing for three simultaneous games. Plans for a team-wide tournament are already in place, and a chess club polo shirt has been procured to go to the eventual champion.

Over the team’s recent 10-game homestand, chess fostered an atmosphere of friendly competition and …

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