Is Hockey Like Chess? What "Playing Chess" on Ice Really Means
When people say a hockey team is "playing chess," they mean it is winning with positioning and planning rather than speed or force — reading the ice a move ahead, controlling space and making the other team react. Hockey isn't literally like chess: it's fast, everything happens at once, and it's physical. But the thinking behind good hockey — positioning, anticipation and patience — is exactly the kind of thinking chess rewards.
What "playing chess" means in hockey
You'll hear it from commentators and coaches in two situations. The first is about a whole game: two disciplined teams clog the middle of the ice, wait for a mistake and give up almost nothing. Nobody is trading chances — both sides are maneuvering, like two chess players who won't open up the board.
The second is about a single player who seems to see the play before it happens: the center who passes to the empty spot a winger is about to skate into, or the defenseman who is already standing in the passing lane when the puck arrives. That player is thinking a move ahead.
It's related to the everyday idiom "playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers" — thinking a level deeper than the people around you.
Where hockey really is like chess
- Control the center. In chess you fight for the central squares. In hockey, the middle of the ice and the slot in front of the net are where most dangerous plays happen, and good teams protect them first.
- Every piece has a job. Centers, wingers, defensemen and the goalie have different roles, just like chess pieces. A team works when everyone does their job and supports each other.
- Think a move ahead. The best passes go to where a teammate will be, not where they are. The best defenders take away the next option, not the current one.
- Initiative. A strong forecheck forces the other team into rushed decisions, the way a chess player keeps making threats so the opponent can only respond.
- Structure. Teams play systems — forechecks, breakouts, neutral-zone setups — that work a bit like chess openings: a known shape you start from and adapt.
- Sacrifices. Blocking a shot, chipping the puck deep to gain position, or taking a hit to make a play — giving something up now for a better position later.
Where the comparison breaks
- No turns. In chess you move, then wait. In hockey all twelve players move at the same time.
- No time to think. A hockey decision often has to be made in a fraction of a second.
- Bodies get tired. Players need line changes, and fatigue changes what's possible.
- Bounces happen. A puck off a skate or a stick can undo a perfect plan. Chess has no luck at all.
That last group of differences is exactly why hockey sense is hard to train on the ice: there is no pause button. Players rarely get the chance to stop and ask "what should I have done there?"
Why curling — not hockey — is called "chess on ice"
If you search for "chess on ice," you'll mostly find curling. Curling really is turn-based: teams take turns placing stones, and every throw is planned around where the stones already are — much like chess (Chess.com explains the comparison). Hockey earns the chess comparison for a different reason: not because of its format, but because of the thinking it takes to play it well.
How to train hockey thinking like a chess player
Chess players get better by slowing positions down and studying them. Hockey players can borrow that idea:
- Pause and predict. Watch a game, pause just before a pass, and guess where it's going. Then play it.
- Draw it out. Sketch a 2-on-1 or a breakout on paper and talk through each player's options.
- Play hockey in turns. Ice Hockey Chess is a free hockey strategy game built on exactly this idea: the rink is a grid, each side takes turns, and every pass and shot shows its odds based on where the players are. You get the decisions of hockey — passing lanes, odd-man rushes, offside, line changes — with all the time you need to think.
For more ways to build game sense away from the rink, read What Is Hockey IQ? New to the game? Start with How to Play Ice Hockey Chess.
FAQ
Why do people say hockey is like chess?
Because good hockey depends on positioning, anticipation and planning a move ahead — controlling space, supporting teammates and forcing the opponent to react. "Playing chess" describes a team or player winning with their head rather than with speed or force.
Why is curling called chess on ice?
Curling is turn-based: teams alternate throwing stones, and every throw is planned around the stones already in play, much like moves in chess. Hockey is compared to chess for its strategy, not its format.
Do hockey players play chess?
Some do. For example, the New York Islanders have written about players such as Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech playing regular chess matches off the ice.
Is there a hockey chess game?
Yes, a few. Ice Hockey Chess at icehockeychess.com is a free browser game that turns real hockey into turn-based strategy, with passing, shooting, line changes and offside. Separately, there are chess variants named "Hockey Chess" and "Ice Hockey Chess" that add hockey ideas to chess rules, and a 2021 board game called Hockey Chess.
Can strategy games improve hockey IQ?
They can help with the decision-making side — reading positions and anticipating plays — because they let players think without a clock. They don't replace practice on the ice, but they are a useful extra rep.