ChessFest 2025 – all the information
There are just 5 days to go until ChessFest 2025, our annual chess extravaganza in Trafalgar Square, London. On Sunday 13th July 2025, 11am-7pm, we’re 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
- 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.
ChessFest 2025 information
This year’s ChessFest theme is The Wizard of Oz. Will Dorothy triumph over the Wicked Witch of the West? Will the lion hold his nerve on the same chessboard as the Wizard himself? Come along to find out.
We will be joined by many master players, including England internationals Mickey Adams, Gawain Jones, Nikita Vitiugov and Harriet Hunt. Come and test your chess skills against them in either a simultaneous game or over a blitz game in our Challenge the Chess Master tent.
We’ll be hosting challenge matches between the ChessFest in Trafalgar Square and our parallel event in Hull, while junior stars Bodhana Sivanandan and Supratit Banerjee will be taking on their counterparts in America in a live transatlantic match. All the action will be broadcast on a giant screen at the foot of Nelson’s Column.
We are delighted to welcome the voice of ChessKid, FunMasterMike to Trafalgar Square. Mike will be running a Puzzle Rush competition and meeting guests until 1.30pm. For a flavour of what to expect at ChessFest, please see this video of our 2024 event.
No need to book – just turn up on Sunday 13th July for a full day of chess fun!
ChessFest Portishead – Saturday 12th July New for 2025, ChessFest begins in the Somerset coastal town of Portishead on Saturday 12th July. With the event spread over 5 sites, all within walking distance, ChessFest will truly be taking over the whole town:
- Zone 1 – Casual Chess at Aqua. Enjoy a game of chess with brunch and coffee in this great restaurant on Portishead Marina.
- Zone 2 – Elite Chess on Parish Wharf. Come and challenge a master to a game of blitz chess, or take part in a simultneous display against International Master Chris Beaumont.
- Zone 3 – Kids’ Zone outside Portishead Leisure Centre. Enjoy a chess lesson from one of many junior coaches and meet ChessKid’s Fun Master Mike Klein who will be running activities for children of all ages.
- Zone 4 – Schools’ Competition at Portishead Primary School (9am-11am). An inter-school chess tournament for local children.
- Zone 5 – Ark of Angels in Jubilee Park. Come and watch a game of living chess on a giant board, featuring local adult and junior chess players as the pieces and pawns. Performances at 12.15pm and 2.30pm.
ChessFest Liverpool – Sunday 20th July ChessFest returns to Chavasse Park at Liverpool One for a fifth year on Sunday 20th July. Please join us for:
- Free chess lessons for adults and children, delivered by CSC tutors
- Social games of chess on one of many boards across the park
- Giant chessgames – a test of skill and stamina
- Simultaneous displays – take on a one of our visiting chess masters
- Blitz chess tournament – test your skills at speed chess.
Last year over 1,000 people enjoyed a day of free, family-friendly fun at ChessFest Liverpool. We hope to see you there.
ChessFest Schools Events
CSC was delighted to welcome over 400 children from 45 schools to three days of chess fun in Manchester Square Gardens, Westminster, last week. Schools from Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford, York, and Salford took part, alongside many from the capital, with CSC providing bursaries to support travel costs.
The children enjoyed outdoor lessons from CSC tutors, simultaneous games against our visiting experts, Grandmasters Chris Ward and Shreyas Royal, and former World Under 8 Champion Bodhana Sivanandan, and consultation games on giant boards. They also took part in a tournament against their peers, with medals awarded to the highest scorers. All children received a selection of chess goodies to take home with them.
Record breaking ChessFest
Last year ChessFest at Trafalgar Square, London was bigger and better than ever before! A record 23,300 people visited the festival and enjoyed a wide range of fun, family-friendly, and free chess activities. Many of the UK’s top chess players joined for the day, including England’s top player, Grandmaster Nikita Vitiugov, British Champions, Grandmasters Gawain Jones, Matthew Sadler, Stuart Conquest, and Chris Ward, as well as British Women’s’ Champions, International Master Harriet Hunt and FIDE Master Akshaya Kalaiyalahan. In addition, three of the UK’s new generation of chess stars, Supratit Banerjee, Ethan Pang, and Bodhana Sivanandan, took on members of the public in simultaneous displays and in our Challenge the Chess Master tent.
Last year ChessFest at Trafalgar Square, London was bigger and better than ever before! A record 23,300 people visited the festival and enjoyed a wide range of fun, family-friendly, and free chess activities. Many of the UK’s top chess players joined for the day, including England’s top player, Grandmaster Nikita Vitiugov, British Champions, Grandmasters Gawain Jones, Matthew Sadler, Stuart Conquest, and Chris Ward, as well as British Women’s’ Champions, International Master Harriet Hunt and FIDE Master Akshaya Kalaiyalahan. In addition, three of the UK’s new generation of chess stars, Supratit Banerjee, Ethan Pang, and Bodhana Sivanandan, took on members of the public in simultaneous displays and in our Challenge the Chess Master tent.
This year Chess Fest is back and will take place Sunday 13th July 2025. The festival is free and open to all
More about Chess Fest: Chess Fest 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1972 World Chess Championship match Fischer – Spassky
This year Chess Fest is back and will take place Sunday 13th July 2025. The festival is free and open to all