Saturday, 11th July 2026
CHESSFEST!!
LONDON - LIVERPOOL - HULL - PORTISHEAD!!
ChessFest 2026
Chess Fever to Take Over Portishead!
We’re thrilled to announce that Portishead has been chosen, for the second time in a row, as one of only four national ChessFest locations – alongside London, Liverpool, and Hull.
This is an incredible honour and has become an annual celebration in our town. We will be representing Bristol too so we want everyone involved. This is a pilot for even bigger things to come!
What's Happening?
10.00-16.00, 11th July 2026
Chess will dominate the areas around the Marina show-casing the wonderful talents of our primary school children, demonstrations by international celebrities, simultaneous exhibitions by a local master, dramatised games with human pieces ... and much, much more!
Tell me more!
Okay, so there will be Five Zones across the Marina:
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Aqua Brunch Chess – informal and family-friendly all day
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Elite Chess – simultaneous exhibitions, blindfold games, and top-level chess with big name players, including International Master Chris Beaumont and Candidate Master Oliver Stubbs. There will be over 100 chess sets spread out over the Marina so 200 people could be playing chess at the same time.
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ChessKid and Kids – with Women International Master Maddie Lejean from ChessKid flying in from the USA! She will be running the kids' chess training and inspiring the next generation!
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Summer Fair – taking place outdoors on the courts at Portishead Primary school.
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Live Human Chess Plays – human players re-enact a famous game in pantomime-style costume.
