NBA superstar Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama is bringing his passion for chess back home. The San Antonio Spurs phenom is hosting a chess tournament in his hometown in France on Sunday, July 20.
The French NBA sensation has already given his hometown of Le Chesnay, a small town west of Paris, outdoor basketball courts. Now, he is organizing a chess tournament in partnership with his local chess club, and his personal sponsor, Nike. Chess.com will also be supporting the event with chess sets and a prize fund.
“I have a big announcement,” the NBA Star began in a post on his social platforms on Tuesday, as he unveiled Hoop Gambit Premiere Edition.
Hoop Gambit ! Première Édition
📍Le Chesnay
📆Dimanche 20 JuilletSee you there! Lien ci-dessous et en bio 👀https://t.co/TJOOU8Nh5N pic.twitter.com/wPoatZJJAh
— Wemby (@wemby) July 15, 2025
Up to 150 participants are expected at the tournament, which will be held inside the gym next to the basketball courts he previously helped build for his local community.
The 7’3″ giant has long been known for his chess passion. In December 2024, during the 2024 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship, Wemby surprised fans in New York City when he invited anyone to play chess with him at Washington Square Park.
It turned into an unforgettable experience for around 30 to 40 people who showed up in the park on that rainy day. “Victor was very nice and gracious, and he was always smiling,” said Dylan Rittman, Chess.com’s Group Product Manager, who was at the park. Rittman added that Wemby was talking to fans while also focusing on the game, “and the rain didn’t even bother him!”
Wemby spoke about his chess journey in a fresh and exclusive interview with IM Julien Song in Las Vegas. “There was a long period in my life while I did not play much, but I learned chess when I was around 10 years old and played for half a year in a chess club,” he said.
“I discovered the game at school, so I knew no theory at all. I remember the first thing the chess club coach asked me when I arrived, was ‘You know what castling is?’ I did not.”
Explaining what the game means for him, he said: “I like chess because it challenges the brain big time.”
I like chess because it challenges the brain big time.
—Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama
French YouTuber Song has gained a massive following on his YouTube channel, where he recently broke 600,000 subscribers. He challenged Wemby to a game, allowing him three lives to take back moves, before he would guess his Chess.com rapid rating.
It turned out that his guess of 1100 was just slightly too high, as Wemby revealed he is around 1000.
For Song, interviewing the NBA star was a career highlight: “It’s probably one of the most stressful interviews I’ve had to prepare for, but very quickly, thanks to his kindness and humility, I just felt like I was sharing a moment with another chess enthusiast,” he told Chess.com.
Thanks to his kindness and humility, I just felt like I was sharing a moment with another chess enthusiast.
—Julien Song on Wemby
Song, who will attend the event in Le Chesnay, also praised Wemby’s initiative to bring sports to the community: “His chess initiative in Le Chesnay is amazing! It’s really nice to see that he wants to bring basket and chess to more people.”
