Sir Richard Branson was put in check by Crystal Palace hero Ebere Eze during a mamoth chess session at his Son Bunyola hotel in Banyalbufar last week.Branson paid the penalty and Ebere was the overall winner, the knight was vanquished.
Sir Richard wrote on his instagram account: " Had the great pleasure of spending time – and playing chess – with the delightful Ebs @Eze this week at the beautiful Son Bunyola in Mallorca. It is the most beautiful of properties on the island with the most delightful team working there (thank you all).
"Ebs of course scored the winning goal in Crystal Palace’s historic FA Cup victory, and is one of England’s brightest stars. He also wore a special classic @VirginAtlantic 90s jersey for the celebration parade, movingly paying tribute to a Palace-supporting family.
"When I then heard he is also a huge chess fan, I invited him to come and give me a game (or five!)
We had four very entertaining games, which finished 2-2. Then in the deciding game, I very foolishly got my queen trapped… Ebs should have guessed what was coming next!
"Seeing as Ebs won a chess tournament recently, I’m not too disappointed. And we were thrilled to spend time with Ebs and his delightful wife Naima - we’ve became firm friends.
"Best of luck for the season ahead, and I’ll get you on the chessboard next time!"
Sir Richard Branson opened his Son Bunyola hotel in Banyalbufar two years ago and it is one of the most popular five star hotels on the island.