August 25th 2024
The Chess & Mates Festival is a free celebration of the game of chess on August 25th. The event was created mainly for beginners and intermediates, but also club-level players are very welcome. The main activity of the festival is a casual tournament for beginners. The festival is hosted at the famous Saint Peter's Abbey (Sint-Pietersabdij) in Ghent, an official quiet zone in the city center and the perfect venue for the first-ever chess festival. Activities will be held in the beautiful antique building and in its serene gardens.
What to do at the Chess & Mates festival?
Tickets
The main activity will be a large-scale tournament for beginners & casual players with a capacity of up to 160 contestants. This tournament will be much like our tournament at the Marriott Hotel in March, where 135 casual players came together for a legendary day of chess. By splitting the tournament by the strength of the players into two groups, and by using the Swiss pairing system, we can ensure everyone plays with people at their own level. There will be 7 rounds, with 10min + 3 seconds tempo.
To participate, you will need to register in advance by buying a ticket and filling in the registration form.
Register
For who: Adults with an ELO rating above 1800
Instructors: Maarten De Vleeschauwer (Fide Master) & Adrian Roos (Fide Master)
Duration: 13h30 - 15h
Location: Cellarium room in the Saint Peter's Abbey
Price: Free
Register
Target Audience: Beginner kids (stap1/2)
Instructors: Nele Vanhuyse (WFM) & Sarah Snoeck
Duration: 10h30 - 12h
Location: Cellarium room in the Saint Peter's Abbey
Price: Free
Free for all ages
In the beautiful garden of the Saint-Peter's Abbey there will be free-to-play chess boards, shops, chess initiations and many more chess related activities.
There will be foodtrucks & catering by Davai & Rebel Events, with Davai being the vegan option. Our partner De Denksportkampioen will also open shop at the festival.
Open from 10 AM until 5 PM.
No registration required.