From Rooks to Rookies: How Chess Sharpened Will Benson's Game
May 8, 2025 - International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release
As the 2021 calendar flipped to February, bitter frost thawed, and daylight began to linger ever so slightly. For baseball fans, the fading winter chill means one thing: spring training is near. And with that comes the dawn of another baseball season.
Just like clockwork.
Also like clockwork, Will Benson was preparing to join the Cleveland Indians for his fifth spring training. So midway through February, Benson made his annual trek from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, to Goodyear, Ariz. Only this year, Benson had his chessboard with him.
"I'll never forget it," Benson said. "It was just one random spring training, my mom just said 'Hey, take it with you,' and I was doing some neuro work, and chess was one of the games that I picked up. So, I took it with me."
For Benson, chess was hardly a novelty. In fact, it was a staple in the Benson household growing up. Will's mom, Ramona, taught him the tactical game at a young age and the two played often. But until Ramona's suggestion, Benson's liking of chess and his passion for baseball lived in separate worlds.
In the four years since her recommendation, though, the two have perfectly intertwined.
After being selected 14th overall in the 2016 draft, Benson immediately started climbing up the ranks. After rookie ball in 2016, Benson played one spring training game with the Indians in 2017 before spending the season with Cleveland's Class-A affiliate, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. In 2018 and 2019, Benson again ventured to Goodyear, Ariz., before continuing his ascent through the farm system - just like clockwork.
In 2020, though, Benson's spring training didn't go as planned. And when he returned the following February, it wasn't in the wake of another successful minor league season, as no minor league baseball was played in 2020.
When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, spring training was in full swing and Opening Day was fast approaching. For the majors, the pandemic delayed the 2020 season. But for the minor leagues, it eliminated it altogether. Consequently, the few at-bats Benson took in spring training ended up being his only ones all year.
Nonetheless, Benson headed back to Goodyear in 2021 for spring training, keen to resume playing. And as he returned to baseball, he also revived the childhood pursuit his mom encouraged him to bring.
After a year that ran off the rails, Benson revamped his spring regimen.
"My roommate at the time was Steven Kwan, and he was like 'Yeah, I'm kind of getting into (chess), so we played a lot, played every day after our spring training day was over," Benson said. 'So, I just kind of grew a love for it and I've been grinding ever since."
As Benson and Kwan rose through Double-A and Triple-A with the Akron RubberDucks and the Columbus Clippers, chess was a constant. Their time dueling on the chessboard wasn't simply a hobby to pass the time, though.
Because in Benson's eyes, chess and baseball have quite an overlap.
Though often debated as a sport, chess undeniably demands mental prowess and sharp strategy. On the diamond, those same attributes often distinguish good from great.
"In reality, there's a chess match between me and the pitcher, and a lot of it is, how is he going to pitch me?," Benson said. "So the similarity with chess was, how am I going to approach this type of opening. There are three segments to a game in chess. You have the opening, the middle game and the endgame. Honestly, you can break it down in any way in baseball, like my first at bat to my last or even in an at-bat, first pitch to the last pitch. Just having a plan."
As Ted Williams famously said, "Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of 10 and be considered a good performer." Through his time on the chessboard, Benson has gained a more nuanced understanding of the mental resilience needed to thrive on the field.
A 162-game season is a marathon, not a sprint. Baseball demands longevity, and chess has been instrumental in helping Benson rise to that challenge, harnessing the long-term endurance of chess to thrive at the plate.
Beyond that, chess proved invaluable when Benson was thrust into a new setting. On Feb. 8, 2023, Benson was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, less than two weeks before position players were scheduled to report to camp.
Two years after bringing a chessboard to spring training on a whim, the game had become a cornerstone of Benson's life. As the newest member of the Reds, Benson didn't spar with just anyone, though - Benson sat across from one of the best to ever wear the Cincinnati Reds uniform: Joey Votto.
"It was dope," Benson said. "Really cool moment in time in my life, playing with Joey. And just experiencing him as a person was a crazy experience. We got to bond a little bit over a chessboard while we did it, so that was pretty awesome."
That year, Benson went on to play 108 games with Cincinnati and found success in doing so. Slashing a .863 OPS, the third highest on the team, and smashing 11 homers, Benson's career was gaining momentum.
But in baseball, there's always a curveball waiting, things never go according to plan. Unfortunately for Benson, that rang true in 2024. While he remained with the Reds all season, Benson consistently struggled, posting a .187 average.
Given his woes, Benson's 2025 began with the Louisville Bats. It's an undeniably tough situation, amplifying the mental tug-of-war a struggling player must face.
As a veteran chess player, Benson has a unique outlook that helps him reset.
"I like where I am right now with chess, because it's such a level of curiosity," Benson said. "It's more just let me keep playing as much as I can, and so when you have that type of perspective, winning and losing doesn't necessarily bother you. There's more on the line. But that's kind of the freeing perspective that I try to bring to baseball.
This liberating perspective clearly benefits Benson, whose 2025 campaign is starting strong. In 28 games with the Bats, Benson's average is up and his power is back. Benson leads Louisville in hits with 33, ranks fourth among all International Players in RBIs with 27 and even delivered a walk-off back on April 23.
With the Bats, chess remains a staple for Benson. As he did throughout his time in the Cleveland farm system and during spring training with Votto and the Reds, Benson's methodical and precise approach to chess operates seamlessly from opening to endgame.
Just like clockwork.
On the chessboard, Benson's endgame requires intense patience and discipline. Off the chessboard, Benson is channeling those same core capabilities toward his own end game: reclaiming his spot with the Reds.
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