London ChessFest 2023: the largest chess event to promote chess in schools

Last Sunday, the 16th of July, Trafalgar Square turned into a chess hub for the day. ChessFest 2023 invited the people of London to come and challenge someone in chess or take part in chess-related activities. Over 300 boards were set up in tents around the Trafalgar Square fountains. In addition, a screen broadcasted live games and commentary.

I arrived at the National Gallery shortly after 2pm. Most of the chess boards were taken and some games even had spectators around. Many of the people I’ve met here play chess online once in a while – read my other blog post on internet chess growth here.

It pleasantly surprised me to see people of all ages taking part in the event and this effect is something I’ve always found charming about chess. I also met a group of Warwick students that came to London for the event with the university’s chess society. One motivation of ChessFest was promoting chess in education, so the festival had children-friendly spaces, and it attracted a fair share of families to Central London this Sunday. The giant chess sets were also warmly welcomed.

After a few blitz games and a match of “hand and brain”, I strolled past the chess merchandise tents. I made it to the “Challenge the Master” tent, where you could play against one of the GMs present at the event. While waiting in line, I met a teenage boy, rated 2100 FIDE, who was really excited to play against a Grand Master for the first time.

I ended up playing with the white pieces against GM Ravi Haria. The time control was also interesting: I started with 5 minutes on the clock and my opponent with 2 and a half. In a time scramble, I secured a win and left feeling pretty good about myself.

Chess in Schools and Communities, the organizer of ChessFest, is a non-profit organisation that believes in the educational opportunities brought by chess to communities. One of its largest branches is chess in schools. They partner with state schools for either full lesson-time classes or extracurricular chess clubs. The classes host many of their operations on ChessKid, a growing chess platform destined for children. Another initiative is the Chess for Maths project, which aims to use chess as a tool for teaching mathematical concepts and improving numeracy skills.

London Chess Classic is also brought by Chess in Schools and Communities. I participated in the open section of the London Chess Classic 2019, where I got to see Magnus Carlsen play for the first time in my life. While browsing through their website, I was happy to read the concept of inclusivity listed in the organisation’s fundamentals.

Let us know in the comments your thoughts on the potential paths of chess in education and competitive playing. In the meantime, enjoy the Women’s World Chess Championship 2023!

Author

MARIA CIOCAN