The Chess & Mates Festival takes place on Saturday, 5 September 2026, at KBR – the Royal Library of Belgium and the Palace of Charles de Lorraine in Brussels.

The festival has two entrances:

• General festival admission and tournaments: KBR public entrance

• Exclusive Festival Experience and Photo & Signing Session: Palace Charles de Lorraine entrance

  Please make sure you use the entrance corresponding to your ticket or activity.

The festival is within easy walking distance of Brussels-Central Station.

Visitors arriving by car can use the nearby Interparking Albertine-Square. As parking in central Brussels is limited, we recommend travelling by public transport whenever possible.

Each ticket is linked to an individual account in our event and tournament registration system. Our ticketing platform therefore only allows one purchase of the same ticket type per account/email address.

If you need an additional ticket of the same type, please create a separate account using a different email address. This ensures that every participant is registered correctly in our system.

You can purchase different ticket types using the same account.

One Visitor Ticket grants admission for one adult and one child and includes:

• Spectator access to the tournament areas

• Access to watch Judit Polgár’s simultaneous exhibition from 18:00 to 20:00

A Visitor Ticket does not allow the adult or child to participate in a tournament.

No. One Visitor Ticket already covers one adult and one child.

If you require admission for an additional adult and child, you must purchase another Visitor Ticket using a different account/email address.

Rapid Tournament

• 10:00–13:30

• 7 rounds

• Time control: 10 minutes + 3 seconds per move

Blitz Tournament

• 15:00–17:00

• 7 rounds

• Time control: 3 minutes + 2 seconds per move

Kids Tournament

• 10:00–13:30

• 7 rounds

• Time control: 10 minutes + 3 seconds per move

• Open to children aged 12 or under

Yes. A Combi Ticket includes participation in both the Rapid and Blitz tournaments.

The tournaments are divided into three categories:

• Red Mates: 0–1000 rating

• Yellow Mates: 1000–1500 rating

• Black Mates: 1500–2000 rating

Please select your category using the following order:

1. Use your official FIDE Rapid rating for the Rapid Tournament or your FIDE Blitz rating for the Blitz Tournament.

2. If you do not have a FIDE rating, use your Chess.com rating for the corresponding format.

3. If you do not have a Chess.com account, use your Lichess rating for the corresponding format.

4. If you do not have a FIDE, Chess.com or Lichess rating, register in the Red Mates category.

During registration, you may be asked to show your FIDE profile or Chess.com/Lichess account so that we can verify your rating.

The winner of each Rapid and Blitz rating category—six winners in total—will earn a place in Judit Polgár’s simultaneous exhibition.

During the tournaments, additional prizes provided by our sponsors will also be awarded by lottery, giving every participant an opportunity to win.

In the Kids Tournament, the best-performing boy and girl will each receive:

• A place in Judit Polgár’s simultaneous exhibition

• A premium tournament-sized wooden DGT chess set created in collaboration with Judit Polgár

The Exclusive Festival Experience takes place from 12:00 to 16:00 at the Palace of Charles de Lorraine.

The programme includes:

• 12:00–13:00: Ivan Sokolov Masterclass – “Playing the Legends”

• 13:00–13:30: Lunch

• 13:30–15:00: Simultaneous exhibition against Daniel Dardha or Ivan Sokolov

• 15:00–16:00: Judit Polgár Masterclass – “From Curiosity to Checkmate”

The full experience also includes access to the masterclasses, a place in the selected simultaneous exhibition, a meet and greet with the Grandmasters, lunch and drinks.

Places in the Daniel Dardha and Ivan Sokolov simultaneous exhibitions are limited to ten participants per Grandmaster.

Yes. You can play in the Rapid Tournament from 10:00 to 13:30 and join the Exclusive Festival Experience from 13:30.

However, you will miss Ivan Sokolov’s masterclass and the main lunch moment. Food and drinks will remain available throughout the exclusive programme, and the package price remains unchanged.

No. Judit Polgár’s masterclass takes place from 15:00 to 16:00 and overlaps with the Blitz Tournament, which runs from 15:00 to 17:00.

It is therefore not possible to participate fully in both activities.

If you purchased tickets for both, you may choose which activity you prefer to attend and request a refund for the activity you cannot attend. Please contact Chess & Mates to arrange this after purchasing your new ticket.

There are several opportunities to see Judit Polgár:

Photo & Signing Session

• 13:30–14:30

• Palace Charles de Lorraine

• Limited to 100 places

• Registration opens on 30 August 2026 at 13:00

Masterclass and Q&A

• 15:00–16:00

• Rotonde of the Palace Charles de Lorraine

• A separate ticket is required

Simultaneous Exhibition

• 18:00–20:00

• Newspaper Room at KBR

• 20 challengers will play against Judit Polgár

• A tournament, Visitor or Judit Polgár Masterclass ticket provides access to watch the exhibition

Places in Judit Polgár’s simultaneous exhibition are limited.

The winners of the six Rapid and Blitz rating categories and the best-performing boy and girl from the Kids Tournament will each earn a place. The remaining places are reserved for invited challengers and special guests.

Purchasing a Visitor Ticket or a Judit Polgár Masterclass ticket allows you to watch the exhibition but does not include a place as a player.

No. The Photo & Signing Session is not included with any other festival ticket. A separate ticket is required to attend.

Places are limited to 100 participants. Registration opens on 30 August 2026 at 13:00.

Please check the festival website for registration details when they become available.

Because tickets are linked to individual accounts and participant registrations, please contact Chess & Mates before transferring a ticket. We will help ensure that the correct participant details are registered in our system.

The latest programme, ticket information and practical updates are available on the Chess & Mates festival website.
Important updates may also be communicated directly to registered participants by email.

If your question is not answered above, please contact the Chess & Mates team. We will be happy to help.