London Chess Classic Schools Events

While the 2025 XTX Markets London Chess Classic featured some of the world’s top grandmasters, the real stars of the event were the 800 children who visited us for a day of chess activities. Over four days, 60 schools joined us at the Emirates Stadium. Each of these receives weekly chess lessons from one of our chess tutors. Schools attended from across the country: Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, York, with those with the longest journeys receiving bursaries to help with their travel costs.

While with us, the children received extra lessons from our team of tutors, received some top chess tips from our visiting grandmasters, took part in a simultaneous display against some chess experts, and tested their skills in their own tournaments. At the end of the day, medals and trophies were awarded for the highest individual and team scores and everyone went home with one of our coveted goodie bags.

It turns out that we have a lot of football fans among our chess-playing children - not all of them Arsenal fans! All the children got the chance to got out into the stands with their teachers and have their photos taken with the hallowed Arsenal pitch in the background, a real highlight of a fantastic day. Our thank you to all the children and teachers for all their hard work and for contributing to four really memorable days at the Emirates Stadium.