Chess & Mates

♟️ THE QUEEN OF CHESS IS COMING TO BRUSSELS ♟️

We are beyond excited to announce that legendary Grandmaster Judit Polgar will be part of the 2026 Chess & Mates Festival!

Widely regarded as the strongest female chess player of all time, Judit Polgár has defeated world champions, inspired generations, and changed the history of chess forever.

✨ Participate at the Chess & Mates Festival and get an unique chance to play against Judit Polgár in a simultaneous exhibition. ✨

📍 Royal Library of Belgium
📅 5 September 2026

Expect:
♟️ Tournaments
🎤 Masterclasses
🤝 Community & culture
🔥 Special guests
👑 Simultaneous exhibition with Judit Polgár

Chess & Mates is about uniting people from different backgrounds and ages through chess.

Tickets & more information: www.chessandmates.com

“Challenge The Queen of Chess” | Behind the Scenes
A movie by Chess & Mates

Creative Directors: and .aer

Starring: .pfr and .pettiaux
Production: .aer

Thanks to .polgar.official and

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHf5rmv1S5Y

🎉 Congrats to our giveaway winner: ! 🏆
He’s taking home a brand new .official Evo board 🤩♟️

A huge thank you to everyone who joined the giveaway — your support keeps us motivated to organise more chess events for the community 💛

👉 Keep an eye on our socials… the next giveaway is coming sooner than you think 👀🎁

A historic weekend for chess in Brussels! 🏛️♟️

Our very first Chess & Mates Festival took place in two iconic venues: La Bourse and the Royal Galeries.
The atmosphere was electric, with hundreds of players and chess lovers coming together to celebrate the game we all love.

🙏 A huge thank you to our amazing community for showing up in such numbers, to the incredible Chess & Mates team who made it all possible, to .official for the collaboration, and to .brussels and the for welcoming us in these breathtaking locations.

📊 Curious about the results? Check out the final rankings of all the tournaments here: https://chessandmates-website.vercel.app/festival/leaderboard/results

🎥 Don’t miss our aftermovie premiere this Sunday at 6 PM!
📸 And stay tuned — we’ll also be sharing the beautiful pictures captured by our photographer soon.

And the best part? This is only the beginning… 🚀♟️

🔥♟️ The DUO CUP is coming! ♟️🔥

This Sunday morning (10:00–13:00) the will be buzzing with chess energy!
We’ve got an amazing line-up of duos: international players, women & men, all united by chess 🌍✨

💥 Already 15 duos registered — only 5 spots left for those who dare to join! Tickets on our website : https://www.chessandmates.com/duocup
🏆 And yes… you can win epic prizes like a .official digital chessboard 😍

➡️ Swipe through the carousel to meet the teams!

Who are you rooting for? 👇

♟️ Exciting news!
We’re thrilled to announce our newest collaboration with .official . Thanks to this collab, you can win their innovative smart chessboards – the Chessnut Air, Chessnut Go, and Chessnut Evo – at the Chess & Mates Festival! ✨

Join us, enjoy chess in two iconic Brussels locations, and maybe you’ll go home with one of these amazing boards.

📅 When: Weekend of 13–14 September
📍 Where: The Old Stock Exchange & the Royal Galeries

⚡ Get your tickets now before we’re sold out!

♟️ GIVEAWAY TIME! 🎉

We’ve got three amazing prizes up for grabs:
🏆 1x Free ticket for the Chess & Mates Championship
🍺 1x Free ticket for the Belgian Beer World Experience
👕 1x Limited edition Chess & Mates Festival T-shirt

How to participate:
1️⃣ Share our event poster in your Instagram Story 📲
2️⃣ Tag two friends in the comments below ⬇️

🎯 Deadline: Saturday, 30 August (midnight)
🥳 Winners announced: Sunday, 31 August

🎉♟️ FREE CHESS FEST IN BRUSSELS! ♟️🎉

Chess & Mates is popping up at the Quai des Péniches this summer!

Join us on Sunday 13 July for a free, all-day casual chess hangout under the sun. Good vibes provided — all levels welcome. 😎☀️

💥 WIN: Play a few games and you might just win tickets to the Chess & Mates Festival in September! 👀🔥

🕙 10:00–18:00
📍 Quai des Péniches, Brussels
🎁 Free entry — no registration needed!

Chess & Mates - Summer edition ☀️🏖️

What a day! We kicked things off with a fun and interactive chess workshop, followed by a delicious lunch under the sun.
In the afternoon, the tension rose with a hilarious hand vs brain challenge before we wrapped things up with casual games around the pool — all while soaking up the summer vibes. 😎

A big thank you to the 30 amazing people who joined us and made this summer edition such a memorable event.