Maurice Ashley, Larry Fitzgerald Jr., And NFL Legends Celebrate Chess In New Orleans

Several NFL stars, as well as GM Maurice Ashley and FM James Canty, joined Chess.com, in collaboration with NFL Legends, in the festivities before the Super Bowl on Canal Street in New Orleans this Friday, February 7. Current and former NFL players, league staff, media personnel, and other guests were all there to enjoy the party, which culminated in BlitzChamps Live, a single-elimination blitz tournament. Will Davis, a former NFL cornerback and current fellow with The Trust, won the final over Emeka Onyenekwu, a defensive end formerly with the Miami Dolphins.

Checkmate! Will Davis takes home the #BlitzChamps title at #SBLIX ♟️ 🏆 pic.twitter.com/3IJMDrX4el

— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) February 8, 2025

Also present at this celebration of chess and football was future Hall of Famer and BlitzChamps veteran Larry Fitzgerald Jr. Super Bowl-themed chess boards were set up around the room for guests and spectators to play throughout the evening, and Fitzgerald and Ashley were among those who took advantage. No word on who won—but we're going to make a pretty safe bet that it was the grandmaster.

Maurice vs Larry at the Super Bowl #BlitzChamps Live! pic.twitter.com/idzFhZpZsu

— Chess.com (@chesscom) February 7, 2025

Canty was a featured guest of the event, giving out lessons and playing blindfold games, after he had also given games to former Carolina Panthers stars Steve Smith Sr. and Jonathan Stewart in the runup to the event.

Fitzgerald and Arik Armstead, the Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker who was just named the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year, were among the BlitzChamps alumni to attend. 

Additionally, NFL Films Presents: The Game of Chess was displayed on a loop on one of the TVs throughout, while two ChessUp2 boards had also been set up for free play at the event. The finalists, Davis and Onyenekwu, got to take them home after the tournament.

DGT boards were used for all tourney games, with the games relayed on a giant digital screen on the stage using the Chess.com design team's custom American football board theme.

Ashley also hosted the tournament and presented Davis with a trophy at a final ceremony. Below is the complete list of the 12 competitors in the tournament:

• Will Davis
• Emeka Onyenekwu
• Asher Allen
• Paulson Adebo
• Mo Richardson
• Bryan Kehl
• Quinton Spears
• Kenny Stills
• Steven Jackson
• Raghib "Rocket" Ismail
• Quintin Smith
• T-Bob Hebert

Will Davis is a former NFL cornerback who played for the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, and San Francisco 49ers. He is currently a fellow of The Trust, an organization powered by the NFL Players Association that supports players making the transition to life after football.

The NFL Legends Community celebrates, educates, embraces, and connects all Legends with each other, their former teams, and the league. 

Every BlitzChamps Live Tournament Game