The City
Chess Experience.
The grandmasters
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Former World Blitz Champion
Sébastien Mazé
Chess grandmaster · Senior Adviser at Marceau Partners
The venue
89 Pall Mall.
Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club has stood at 89 Pall Mall since 1911. Play takes place in the Mountbatten Room: twenty-seven metres long, a five-metre ceiling, nine chandeliers and mirrored panels down its length. It is a members’ club, not a conference venue, and most of your guests will never have been through the door.
Founded 1897 · Royal prefix granted by Edward VII in 1907 · One of London’s great Edwardian clubhouses
Coming up · London, Q1 and Q2 2027
The City Chess Experience.
- 100+Players
- 10Grandmasters
- 9Rapid rounds
Chess, capital markets and strategy all reward the same discipline: read the uncertainty, weigh every scenario, then commit to the strongest move. That is what The City Chess Experience is built on, and it runs in London across the first and second quarters of 2027.
The City Chess Experience is a private networking event. It brings senior leaders from across financial services, capital markets and sport together to play high-level chess against international grandmasters, and it runs by invitation, with places offered to a hand-picked guest list.
Play the best in the world, and meet the people who move the markets.
This is not a public event
It’s for the people who make the big calls in finance, capital markets and sport. People who like to win, and like to think before they move. Guest numbers are limited, and attendance is by invitation or application. Register your interest.
Take part
Sponsor it, play in it, or come to watch.
For sponsors
The chess programme
Five parts, Q1 and Q2 2027
- VIP dinnerAn evening dinner with ten grandmasters and our sponsors.Friday 5 March 2027, evening
- Tournament9 FIDE-rated rapid rounds (12 min + 3 sec). Limited places.Saturday 6 March 2027
- Simultaneous displayOne international grandmaster plays every challenger at once.Q2 2027, main sponsor only
- MasterclassA coaching session with an international grandmaster.Q2 2027, main sponsor only
- SpeechA talk from an international grandmaster on the craft of playing well.Q2 2027, main sponsor only
For players
The tournament
Saturday 6 March 2027
- 9 FIDE-rated rapid rounds (12 min + 3 sec)
- In the same room as 10 grandmasters
- Breakfast and registration from 8.30
- First move 9.15
For spectators
Come and watch
Saturday 6 March 2027
- Complimentary breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea
- Live commentary from a grandmaster
- The opportunity to have pictures with the grandmasters
Saturday 6 March · The running order
From breakfast to the prize-giving.
- 08.30
Welcome, breakfast and registration
Pastries and coffee served in the room, where the boards are already set. Everybody must register in person at the desk before play, so please arrive for this.
- 08.45
Pairings posted
On the wall and on the big screen. Players find their board and their colour.
- 09.15
Rounds one to five
After every round, a short break while Sébastien Mazé takes the best game just played onto the big screen.
- 12.30
Lunch
One hour. The brain-teaser room is open and live music is playing.
- 13.30
Rounds six to nine
Play resumes. Live commentary on the top boards, in your earpiece.
- 15.30
Afternoon tea
Served to spectators at the back of the room, play continuing.
- 16.30
Last round ends
Standings confirmed by the arbiter.
- 16.45
The Final
The top two on points play off for first place: one board, big screen, full commentary.
- 17.15
Prizes and drinks
Ten cash prizes and three women’s prizes, presented by the King Partner.
Enquiries
Tell us how you would like to take part.
If you would like to play, to join us as a guest, or to sponsor, tell us below and we will come back to you. Nothing is charged and nothing is committed at this stage. Attendance is by invitation or application.
- 1
Register your interest
Fill in the form below and tell us how you would like to take part.
- 2
We come back to you
If we can offer you a place, we email you to confirm it, with an invoice to pay.