ChessKid Joins Chess Fans for London’s Biggest Chess Festival for a Third Year in a Row!

On Sunday July 16, ChessKid joined thousands of chess fans in London for the UK’s biggest chess festival, ChessFest. Organized by Chess In Schools and Communities, the event saw over 15,000 kids, parents, and chess enthusiasts descend on Trafalgar Square for live performances, booths and chess-related activities!

It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves, and I had a great time being there in my role as ChessKid President. Check out some photos and stories from the day below!

An image of the ChessKid team standing in front of the ChessKid booth at ChessFest in London.

We felt the love at the ChessKid booth with so many of you excited to meet FunMasterMike and play our puzzles challenge! We met with so many parents and kids who were excited about the fun and educational value that ChessKid provides to our millions of users globally. It was awesome to have personally met our users face-to-face at our ChessKid booth! Visitors also got a chance to win some amazing swag, play against our ChessKid team members, and take a tour on our platform.

A young chess enthusiast pondering their next move as they play a ChessKid staff member in an over-the-board game.

A chess dad and two kids talking to a team member at the ChessKid booth.

We hosted two interactive puzzle challenges on the big screen at Trafalgar Square which even got our ChessKid parents pumped! Winners were based on the fastest time to solve puzzles and we just can’t say enough about how our ChessKiddos made us proud!

Young chess fans on their phones, sitting on the ground, all simultaneously playing in a chess challenge.

It's hard to choose just one highlight from the day, but we were all excited about the Transatlantic Match between Megan Paragua and Bodhana Sivanandan LIVE from ChessFest on ChessKid. Megan played online from the U.S. while Bodhana played in front of thousands of spectators in Trafalgar Square! These girls proved that they are a force to be reckoned with in chess! #girls-in-chess

Two images in a collage. Left: The ChessFest stage featuring the ChessKid website up top. Right: FunMasterMike posing with a young chess fan!

The living chess display enacted by real actors playing the chess pieces was a great way to bring families together on a fun-filled, chess-filled, day!

FunMasterMike and a person dressed as Red Riding Hood pointing a (toy) bow at him!

If you enjoyed meeting us at ChessFest and want to share your pictures, you can tag us at @chesskidofficial on Instagram!