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    Ex-Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew reveals how chess champion Eberechi Eze can checkmate Man City in FA Cup final

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    ALAN PARDEW says Eberechi Eze can spark a great knight by becoming a Crystal Palace king.The winger is a symbol of how the club from the mean streets of South London has been transformed.Former Palace boss Pardew believes Eze is the key to unlocking an FA Cup final victory for his former sideCredit: GettyEberechi Eze has performed on and off the pitch this season, winning football and chess matchesCredit: GettyEze, 26, is a chess champion and an England international.A deep-thinking member of a polished Palace squad that is a far cry from when Pardew played and managed there.Today is the third FA Cup final for a club yet to win a major trophy.Pardew played in the first, managed the Eagles for the second and reckons this is the best shot ever his beloved ex-team has of finally landing silverware.READ MORE CRYSTAL PALACE NEWSPardew, 63, told SunSport: “Palace is an ‘edgy’ club. Always on the edge, whether relegation or the cusp of winning something.“We get more street-type players like Wayne Rooney at our academy, who just love the ball at their feet. The area around the ground is ‘edgy’.“We get more of that type than we do structured midfield players or centre-halves or sensible right-backs. We get right-backs who just want to fly down the wing.“The current squad has now been internationally sourced and scouted.”Most read in FA CupJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSStar player Eze won Chess.com’s four-day PogChamps tournament this month — beating YouTuber Sapnap in the final.And Pardew said: “It’s brilliant Eze won that chess tournament.“He is actually a neighbour of mine.Eberechi Eze was rejected by SIX teams including Arsenal as fans say ‘absolute stinker in hindsight’“He is a humble guy, he was very respectful to me when we met. Such a lovely person and to have that talent is a blessing.“It’s nice to see him win a chess tournament — brilliant. And it doesn’t surprise me, because when he plays the game, everything he does is strategic.“He passes the ball when he should and he crosses the ball when he should.“And he shoots when he should and defends when he should. And he does that all of the time. He gets the mixture just right.“The 1990 team was Steve Coppell doing the best job he could with the least amount of money.“Non-league players like myself, Ian Wright, Andy Gray. Geoff Thomas came from Crewe, as did John Pemberton.“We were a band of brothers from all corners of the football world. With 12 years of Premier League money, they have invested much more wisely.“It has taken them up a level. I would go as far as saying this is the best team I’ve seen at Palace.“I remember Gareth Southgate, when he went to the 1990 Cup final as a young player. He was teased as he was the only one in the squad who had any O-levels.“But our centre-half Eric Young, did go on to pass his accountancy exams after retirement, so there was some room for intelligence.”Pardew wants a Palace win as a reward for the supporters.He said: “I hope they get this one over the line for the fans. They are brilliant. They’ll sing the whole game.“A lot of those people are in jobs where money is tight, so getting to this final would be a big expense.“But they’ll still go the extra mile to be there.”Read More on The SunALAN PARDEW now leads his own strategic football consultancy, channelling years of experience to support clubs at every level, from recruitment to coach mentoring. Find him at www.apardew-consultancy.com More

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      England star Eberechi Eze WINS final of Twitch chess tournament – but takes home less than a day’s wages

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      EBERECHI EZE is already king of the Palace.But it was his queen to E3 that won him £15,000 in a chess competition on Friday night.Eberechi Eze won £15,000 in an online celebrity chess tournamentCredit: Twitch / Chess.comHe secured a 2-0 victory in Friday’s finalCredit: Twitch / Chess.comThe Crystal Palace star celebrated his chess win more than his FA Cup semi-final wondergoalCredit: GettyEze, 26, was Crystal Palace’s knight in shining armour as he fired his side into the FA Cup final.The Eagles star scored a belting opener in last weekend’s Wembley semi-final victory over Aston Villa.But he showed plenty more quick thinking and tactical prowess as he soared to his chess tournament win.Eze lined up in chess.com’s 12-player celebrity PogChamps 6 which ran this week. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAfter coming through the round-robin stage, he earned himself a bye into the semi-finals where he beat Stephen Nedoroscik 2-0.Then in Friday night’s final, he saw off Sapnap by the same scoreline.The final was live streamed on Twitch, with Eze sporting a white t-shirt and gaming headset at home – with a piece of artwork depicting him playing for England in the background.The ten-cap Three Lions hero – playing under the username Ebz Eze with a rating of 1,147 – stormed to the title, closing out the win with his typical class and style.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSHe moved his rook to the top end of the virtual board, putting Sapnap in check and forcing him to bring his king up.But that played perfectly into Eze’s trap as the Palace man immediately moved his queen into position.‘Raiders of The Selhurst Park’ – Bidding war for Geuhi and Eze imminient?And it meant Sapnap had nowhere to move his king into safety and therefore found himself in checkmate.When the screen flashed to confirm Eze’s triumph, the footballer hilariously shouted “come on” then raised a fist in celebration as he smiled at the camera before bursting into laughter.Ironically, despite earning almost exactly a day’s wages with the £15k prize, the £100,000-a-week playmaker celebrated his chess glory more enthusiastically than his Wembley wonderstrike. Earlier in the tournament, though, there was major controversy as one of the internet personalities was booted out for cheating. YouTuber DrLupo admitted he “f***ed up” by reading the live chat to attain “information he shouldn’t have had” against a higher-ranked opponent. Eze, meanwhile, will be hoping for another win on Sunday when Oliver Glasner’s side make the trip across the capital to face Tottenham.But much of Palace’s focus is already on the FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 17 – with the South Londoners hoping to win their very first major honour. Read More on The SunSunSport also revealed Eze could be allowed to leave Selhurst Park this summer alongside team-mate Marc Guehi to raise £130million for a squad overhaul. He has two years left on his current contract but the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United may trigger his £60m release clause. Eze secured the title by moving his queen to E3Credit: Twitch / Chess.comEze came through the round robin and then won a semi-finalCredit: Twitch / Chess.comHe pocketed a day’s wages by being crowned winner of the 12-player competition featuring internet personalitiesCredit: Twitch / Chess.comEze will be hoping for another 2-0 win in this month’s FA Cup finalCredit: Getty More

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      Mo Salah, Martin Odegaard and more Premier League stars spend time away with hobby most football fans don’t enjoy

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      PEP GUARDIOLA and Enzo Maresca surprisingly have chess to thank for their tactical brilliance.The bosses of Manchester City and Chelsea have both methodically drilled their players on how to keep possession using clever movement and a detailed understanding of the game. Magnus Carlsen is a football-loving chess legendCredit: EPAEnzo Maresca and Pep Guardiola have studied chess to help their tacticsCredit: GettyMo Salah says he is ‘addicted’ to chessCredit: GettyMartin Odegaard is also an avid chess playerCredit: APInterestingly, their setups have been inspired by chess and one man in particular – Magnus Carlsen.The 33-year-old is a five-time world champion and is widely regarded as one of the best grandmasters ever.But away from the board, Carlsen is huge football fan and has influenced some of the world’s best players and coaches with his thinking.To the shock of many, England stars Harry Kane, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Anthony Gordon all love chess.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLLiverpool legend Mo Salah has called himself “addicted” to the game and has namechecked Carlsen as the man he most wants pit his wits against.The Norwegian has already demolished Alexander-Arnold in 17 moves and he has wiped the floor with Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.This huge love for chess may come as a surprise – but there is method to the madness.Guardiola studied the genius of Carlsen after leaving Barcelona in 2012 and says it helped him become a better tactician.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSHe said via the book Pep Confidential: “You have no idea how similar the two things are.”There was one thing Carlsen said that I loved. He said that it doesn’t matter if he has to make some sacrifices at the start of the game because he knows he is strongest in the latter stages. Eight bizarre football rules you may not know”It got me thinking and I must learn how I can apply it to football.”Carlsen and Guardiola previously did an interview together with Puma, in which the grandmaster said: “In chess and football, the important thing is to control the middle. “If you control the middle, you control the pitch or the board. “Another thing is that in chess, you attack on one side, so you overload, and then you switch so you have an advantage on the other side. In terms of space, it’s remarkably similar.”Maresca wrote a tactical thesis long before he was Chelsea’s boss and compared much of his thinking to chess.He explained: “A coach can only benefit from acquiring the mind of a good chess player. I concluded that playing chess can train the mind of a coach. “The fundamental element of chess is the logic that leads a player to understand and thus predict the opponents’ moves.”The chess board is like a football pitch that can be divided into three channels — a central one and two external ones. “In football, as in chess, an inside game can be more interesting as it is the quickest and most direct towards goal or the king.”For now, Carlsen is focused on winning the upcoming Global Chess League, which would pocket his team $1million.READ MORE SUN STORIESBut he has his eyes also set on playing against Salah, telling The Observer: “I’ve not met him yet but I would certainly love to – as well as other sports people who I admire who play chess.”Odegaard plays a little bit. He was playing a lot for a while and then not so much. He’s not a bad player, but he’s kind of private about it.” More