Chess.com LLC
10/21/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/21/2026 11:00
Play Chess Against NBA Star Steven Adams
Think you can dunk on an NBA player at chess? Houston Rockets star Steven Adams is now a bot on Chess.com! Head to the Play Bots page and try your luck against our tallest chess bot ever!
With a towering 6'11" presence and a tough chess rating of 1500, this might be the only chance you ever have of scoring on the basketball legend from New Zealand.
A chess fan for years, in March 2026 Steven was a featured speaker at the 20th annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. While there, he visited Chess.com's dedicated space and had the chance to meet the Chessbrahs and IM Danny Rensch.
In the summer of 2020, Steven posted a series of chess screenshots and trash-talking tweets, including an image of a smothered mate. These were aimed at fellow NBA players and the NBA itself ahead of the league's restart in the Orlando bubble following the pandemic lockdown.
Steven's bot launch coincides with the Houston Rockets 2026-27 NBA regular season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, October 21. Can you beat him before the NBA season starts?
Now it's your turn to play chess against Steven Adams! Go to our Plays Botspage and test your skills on the court.
Chess.com LLC published this content on October 21, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 21, 2026 at 17:00 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]