2025 XTX Markets London Chess Classic

The XTX Markets London Chess Classic (LCC) returns to the capital between 26th November and 7th December 2025. Following GM Gawain Jones’s victory in 2024, the event will once again be held largely at the iconic Emirates Stadium, switching to London Novotel West in Hammersmith to avoid clashes with Arsenal home matches.

The XTX Markets London Chess Classic is traditionally among the Top Chess Tournaments of The Chess Calendar.

This year there is a huge range of events for players of all standards to enjoy:

• An elite invitation-only all-play-all tournament featuring ten of the world’s top grandmasters.
• The FIDE Open, a 9-round classical tournament suitable for those seeking IM and GM norms.
• A series of 6-player round robin tournaments for players rated U2100.
• Weekend rapidplay and evening blitz tournaments.
• The British Bughouse Chess Championships.
• The Emirates Team Blitz Championships.
• Challenge the Chess Master sessions where anyone can test their skills against our resident IM or GM.
• The Pro-Biz Cup, an event that pairs our elite GMs with bidders from business and industry to raise funds for CSC.
• The LCC Dinner at the Dorchester Hotel, raising money to support the work of the charity. 

The XTX Masters London Chess Classic welcomes spectators who want to follow the action at the elite event. Visitors to the Emirates Stadium will be able to watch the games in the playing hall or listen to live Grandmaster analysis from the commentary team.

The 2025 XTX Markets London Chess Classic offers everyone the chance to compete against our elite GMs in the Super Rapid tournament. This two-day event held over the weekend of 6th/7th December will also feature some specially invited guests (last year we were joined by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja). The format is a 10-round Swiss tournament held at London Novotel West.

A special day out for schools

Each weekday, CSC will be welcoming 200 children from our Schools’ Programme to the XTX Markets London Chess Classic. The children will enjoy a day of chess activities including:

• lessons from a CSC tutor
• simultaneous games against chess experts
• the chance to meet and possibly play a game against a Grandmaster
• a tournament against their peers from around the country.

Invitations will be sent out by CSC’s regional organisers soon and we hope to repeat the success of 2024 in welcoming schools from all over the country. 

CSC Schools’ Programme

While preparations for the XTX Markets London Chess Classic in November are now underway, our Schools’ Programme is about to resume in a record number of schools around the country. This term, CSC tutors will be delivering chess lessons and running chess clubs in over 350 schools nationwide. In addition, we’ll be running tournaments for local authorities and multi-academy trusts, giving children the chance to test their newly-acquired chess skills while developing shared interests with their peers.
To find out more about how CSC can support chess at your school, please visit the CSC website.