CHESSFEST in London, FRIENDS, FAMILY, FUN

Das Londoner CHESSFEST ist superprofessionell. Der Ort ist legendär, der Trafalgar square. Wenn ich Renter bin, fahre ich mal dort hin

ChessFest returns – 12th July

There are now just three weeks to go before ChessFest returns to Trafalgar Square on Sunday 12th July 2026, 12pm-7pm. Once again, we’ll be taking over the whole square for a day of free, family-friendly chess activities, including:

Free chess lessons from a CSC tutor
Simultaneous displays by the top Grandmasters in the country including Mickey Adams and Gawain Jones
Giant chess sets
Speed chess galore in the Challenge the Chess Master tent
Living chess with actors, replaying famous games of chess on our giant board
Puzzle-rush: pit your wits against fiendish chess puzzles on ChessKid.
Watch chess masters battle it out in game of giant blitz, a test of skill and stamina.

This year’s theme is wildlife. Will the kingfisher defeat the queen bee? You may have heard of an isolated pawn, a passed pawn, or even a doubled pawn, but you’ve never seen a butterfly pawn in mortal combat with a hedgehog pawn. Only at ChessFest 2026!

Now it’s your move!

We want more people than ever before to visit ChessFest in 2026. Please invite chess lovers everywhere to join us on Sunday 12th July:

schools – please include this flyer in your school newsletters
chess clubs – please circulate details of ChessFest to your club members
everyone – please forward this email to friends and family and spread the word on social media

Never played chess before? Not a problem – CSC tutors will be running free classes throughout the day for complete beginners.

Something for Everyone

Now in its 6th year, ChessFest welcomes over 20,000 people of all ages, and is suitable for chess lovers of all standards, from beginners to experts:

Beginners – come and have a free individual or group chess lesson with one of our amazing CSC tutors. No prior knowledge of chess required.
Experts – come and test your chess skills against some of England’s top international players and young prodigies in either a simultaneous game or over a blitz game in our Challenge the Chess Master tent.
Everyone – enjoy the performances of our amazing troupe of actors on our living chess board and watch all the action broadcast on a giant screen at the foot of Nelson’s Column.

For a flavour of what to expect, please see this video of our 2024 event. No need to book – just turn up on Sunday 12th July the largest chess event in the country, a true chess extravaganza!

If you can’t make it to Trafalgar Square, there are other ChessFest events being held around the country. The action kicks off in Portishead on 11th July and then continues in Hull (12th), Liverpool (19th) and Coventry (25th), finally finishing in Lancaster on 17th August. Keep an eye on the ChessFest website for more details or follow us on social media for the latest news.

A Historic Anniversary

ChessFest 2026 will celebrate a unique piece of the London’s history: the 175^th anniversary of the Immortal Game. In 1851, German chess master Adolf Anderssen entered the game’s folklore by sensationally sacrificing his queen and both rooks to force checkmate. One of the most famous games ever, it was likely played just a five-minute walk away from ChessFest at the newly-reopened home of chess, Simpson’s-in-the-Strand. Come and see Anderssen’s materpiece re-enacted by our living chess set, ChessFest-style!

Trafalgar Square – How to get to ChessFest
Public transport is your best bet. The closest Tube station is Charing Cross, which goes right to Trafalgar Square. Additional nearby stations include Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. If you’re traveling by mainline train, the Charing Cross station is a three-minute walk away. Many buses will take you there as well. Click here for a map.