There are fewer than 8 weeks to go until ChessFest 2025, our annual chess extravaganza in Trafalgar Square, London. On Sunday 13th July 2025, 11am-6pm, 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.
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 other events around the country, with 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 13th July for a full day of chess fun!
If you can’t make it to Trafalgar Square, there are other ChessFest events being held around the country. Already confirmed are Liverpool (20th July) and Hull (13th July), but we expect more to be announced soon. Keep an eye on the ChessFest website for more details or follow us on social media for the latest news.