ChessFest Trafalgar Square

Sunday 13th July saw CSC take over London’s iconic Trafalgar Square for the flagship event of ChessFest 2025. We were joined by over 20,000 chess fans, from beginners to experts, who all enjoyed a day of fun, free, family-friendly chess activities.

The highlight of the day was four performances by our troupe of actors on our living chess board. Dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz, they re-enacted the Evergreen Game, one of the most famous games of chess to ever be played. With an alt-ending, the Flying Monkeys on the White side of the board didn’t have it all their own way, the Munchkins triumphing at least once.

Elsewhere, visitors could take on one of several British Champions (Mickey Adams, Gawain Jones, Stuart Conquest, Harrriet Hunt) in a simultaneous display or take on one of many Grandmasters (Nikita Vitiugov, Eldar Gasanov) and International Masters in our Challenge the Master tent. For those new to chess, CSC’s tutors were on hand, delivering many hundreds of free chess lessons throughout the day. More experienced players could enjoy casual chess on one of the hundreds of chess boards laid out around the square, or watch some high-level competitive action, English junior stars Bodhana Sivanandan and Supratit Banerjee defeating their counterparts from across the pond in a transatlantic match broadcast live on a giant screen. Our friends from ChessKid were also there, running Puzzle Rush competitions and handing out goodies.

A huge thank you to all our volunteers, masters, tutors, and staff for helping make this such a successful event. We are also very grateful for the continued support of our ChessFest sponsor, XTX Markets.