Phoenix Suns' Josh Jackson shows fiery intensity - at chess match, too

Josh Jackson stares at the chess board in front of him, at the white pieces on his side and the black pieces on the opponents’ side.

He has a small microphone attached to his Suns practice jersey. The plan is to talk to Jackson about the game he’s played since he was a child, and how chess and basketball aren’t entirely dissimilar.

But there’s a problem. Questions to Jackson are tossed back with short answers, some consisting of just a couple of words. The 32-minute recording has large gaps of silence as Jackson leans forward, stone-faced, contemplating his next move.

His opponent is surprised. On the basketball court Jackson is a whirlwind of aggressiveness and emotion. In interviews he’s talkative and a great quote, often saying outrageous things but doing so with a smile and a laugh that disarms any potential blowback.

But now he’s quiet.

A father's influence

Jackson’s stepfather, Clarence Jones, whom he calls 'Dad,' taught him how to play chess.

“I came home one day, I was maybe nine or 10 years old, and he was playing and I didn’t really know anything about it,” Jackson said. “I just asked him what it was and he ended up teaching me a little bit about it and I fell in love with it and started playing.”

Earlier this season, Jackson, frustrated by the way he was playing and the lack of confidence interim coach Jay Triano had in him, asked Triano if they could watch film together. Jackson wanted to know what Triano was seeing that he wasn’t.

That desire to understand, to better himself, ignited his love of chess. Once Jackson knew what the 32 pieces were, what they could do and how they could move, he wanted to figure the game out. Do that, and just as on the basketball court, he would have the advantage.

“It was something that was new to me,” Jackson said. “It wasn’t normal. I had never seen it before. When I started playing I felt like I was kind of good so I liked it.”

Jackson started a chess club in elementary school and soon was playing whenever he could against anybody willing to play him. He played with his stepfather, too, but Clarence Jones always had the upper hand.

“I actually never beat him,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s rookie year with the Suns was defined, at least early on, by his recklessness. He would see three defenders in front of him and think nothing of challenging all three on a drive to the basket. Time and time again, Triano said Jackson was playing too fast and trying to do too much.

But there is no rush when Jackson plays chess. He describes himself as an “aggressive player,” but he takes several seconds, sometimes more than a minute before he makes a move. He studies the board, trying to find the best option, more, his opponent realizes, like the player who has slowed down the second half of the season.

“It’s just a real calm game,” he says. “You just sit and think and play. It’s kind of fun.”

The differences between chess and basketball are obvious, but it’s the similarities that attract Jackson. Both pursuits require studying the opponent, trying to figure out his next move and then reacting. One response is physical, one mental but the process is the same.

“Both are strategic games,” Jackson said. “And you need a strategy in any game you play, to be honest. Especially basketball.”

More than anything, however, it’s the challenge that drives Jackson. He eagerly looked forward to having to defend LeBron James when the Suns played the Cleveland Cavaliers last Tuesday because, he said, “You want to see where you stack up against the best.”

It’s no coincidence that Jackson’s season turned around after Triano sat him for a January game and told him privately, “I have no confidence in you.”

“Since that point he’s been very focused and dialed in,” Triano said.

Checkmate

Jackson takes a small chess board on every Suns road trip. He said he’s played center Alex Len once – “he’s a pretty good player,” – but that he doesn’t play as often as he’d like.

He leans forward again. The game, held inside the visitors’ locker room at Talking Stick Resort Arena, is winding down. Jackson’s king is in trouble.

He extends his hand.

“I can’t win,” he says.

There will always be another game, though. Another move. Another battle.

“Anybody who knows me knows I like a challenge,” Jackson says. “I think that’s what gets me about it.”

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Friday's game

Suns at Cavaliers

When: 4:30 p.m.

Where: Quicken Loans Arena

TV/radio: FSAZ/KTAR 98.7 FM

Update: The Suns have lost nine straight games and 24 of their past 26. Forward T.J. Warren (left knee inflammation) and guard Devin Booker (right hand sprain) are listed as questionable. Booker said Wednesday, however, that he hoped to play. The Cavaliers have won three straight and were the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference entering Thursday. Cleveland beat Phoenix 129-107 on March 13 and LeBron James had a triple double in 33 minutes. The Cavaliers will be without Larry Nance Jr. (hamstring), Cedi Osman (hip) and Kyle Korver (personal matter). Tristan Thompson (ankle) and Rodney Hood (back) are questionable.