Barzal-Pelech-Split

When Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech face off against each other in practice, you could call it a chess match between a dynamic forward and a shutdown defender.

The only problem with that phrasing is that Barzal and Pelech are already having regular chess matches off the ice.

“It’s just kind of became really obsessive for us,” Pelech said.

The classic board game is becoming an off-ice favorite for a handful of Islanders, including Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Hudson Fasching and Casey Cizikas.

“I wouldn’t say it's taken over the room. I'd say there's like four of us who play chess, and everyone else gets annoyed when we talk about it,” Pelech said.

“We have a lot of chess nerds on the team,” Noah Dobson said with a laugh. “I am not one of them. There’s a lot of guys in here you could ask about chess and they’d just love to talk to you about it.”

Barzal told reporters chess was one of his pastimes during his lengthy injury recovery earlier this season, but his love for the game dates back to the 2022 NHL Player Media Tour, when he and Lee had some downtime.

“It's been a full-blown addiction for the last year-and-a-half to two years,” Barzal said.

Barzal and Pelech on Islanders Chess Club

Barzal’s uncle initially taught him to play growing up, but the strategic nature of the game has reinvigorated his passion for it.

“You have to think and use your brain,” Barzal said. “It's not just one of those games like Candy Crush or something silly like that. I like the strategy behind it, I like strategic stuff.”

Pelech’s trajectory is similar. He played a little as a kid, but caught the bug after Barzal and Lee returned from the Player Media Tour.

“Two years ago, I had basically never played, at least since I was a kid, and then some of the guys were playing,” Pelech said. “It's not for everyone, but it can be pretty addictive, so I think a few of us kind of caught the bug.”

Bringing a board around the country isn’t necessarily realistic, though Barzal and Pelech both own ones of their own, so the team largely picks up their phones instead of actual pawns and play head-to-head on an app. Nelson isn’t as regular of a player, but agreed it’s good to keep the brain sharp on the road.

“It’s a fun game to keep the mind going,” Nelson said.

The team title of grandmaster is still up for grabs – so the Isles Gambit will have a few players trading checkmates as much as bodychecks.