Looking for a book from my youth

Hey dear SF fans, I'm looking for a book where i can't remember the title and even only vaguely the content but it's been on my mind for weeks, hopefully you can help. The book is about this space pirate captain who finds this alien being who he takes on his ship and eventually starts playing chess ( or maybe another game) with this alien, i remember the alien having a mystical kind of aura around him and also that it was very non human ( tentacles, slime and stuff).
The cover of he book is this captain sitting on this chair like if he was sitting on a throne and i think he has a red beard and like a kind of jester hat.
I think its an older book like 80s or 90s or so

I'm really sorry for the vague and maybe confusing description but it's been breaking my head for a while now so i appreciate the effort.

Peace out

You'll probably find the answer you seek in our Name That Book! group, where they specialize in finding lost titles:
https://www.librarything.com/groups/namethatbook

Please be sure to read the group's header for instructions on posting your request

I know this is from a while ago, but it sounds like "Player of Games" from Iain M. Banks

>3 jenknox:

I am currently re-reading The Player of Games and the description in #1 isn't fitting with my memory or what I have read so far. I am, however, getting into a part of the story where the episode described in post #1 could happen.

I shall report back as I progress through the book.