A city guide to chess life in Makhachkala
Chess schools, clubs and chess lessons in Makhachkala
A big guide to chess in Makhachkala: where to learn, how to find a coach, a chess club, a tournament or simply somewhere to play. Verified addresses of schools and clubs, information about the Chess Federation of the Republic of Dagestan, coaches, the Gapizov Memorial, the tournament «The Caspian - a Sea of Friendship» and the history of chess in the city.
A guide for parents choosing a school for their child and for adults who want to sit down at a board again.
One of the chess centres of the North Caucasus
Dagestan's main municipal chess school is the A. E. Karpov Municipal Chess Sports School (Lomonosova St. 13a), founded in June 2004, whose director is international grandmaster Dzhakay Dzhakayev. It has around 350 pupils. The republic's tournament venue is the Dagestan House of Chess at Lomonosova St. 12 (the 50th Anniversary of October Park). The private segment consists of Dzhakayev's own school on Imama Shamilya Avenue 18G and the Eidos school (Imama Shamilya Ave. 41B). Municipal sections work at the Sokol children's sports school, children's sports school No. 4, the Gamidov sports complex and the adaptive sports school.
One of the notable figures of Dagestan chess is Dzhakay Abakarovich Dzhakayev, an international grandmaster since 2006 and president of the Chess Federation of the Republic of Dagestan, born in Makhachkala. Dagestan's first grandmaster was Makhachkala's Alexander Volzhin (1997). Among today's young players is Taymaz Temirbekov, a FIDE master and two-time European junior champion. Since 1 September 2016 chess lessons have been part of the years 1-4 curriculum in every school in Dagestan - the republic became one of the first Russian regions to introduce chess into education systematically.
Chess schools and clubs in Makhachkala
The chess addresses of Makhachkala: the municipal A. E. Karpov school, the Dagestan House of Chess, Dzhakayev's own school, Eidos, the republic and municipal children's sports schools and the adaptive sports school. Every card is a working organisation with public contact details.
Where there is chess near you
Makhachkala has three administrative districts. Below are the chess addresses in those districts where there are confirmed venues.
- The A. E. Karpov Chess Sports School - Lomonosova St. 13a
- The Dagestan House of Chess - Lomonosova St. 12
- The Dzhakayev chess school - Imama Shamilya Ave. 18G
- The Eidos chess school - Imama Shamilya Ave. 41B
- The Sokol children's sports school - Imama Shamilya Ave. 74
- The republic children's sports school - Imama Shamilya Ave. 70B
- The adaptive sports school - Rasula Gamzatova Ave. 97
- The G. Gamidov sports complex (chess department) - Magomeda Gadzhiyeva St. 41/1
- Children's sports school No. 4 (chess section) - Nasrutdinova St. 44d
- Cerebrum_NN (chess track) - Amet-Khana Sultana Ave. 16 blk 5
At what age to take a child, and where
Under the rules of most Makhachkala schools, chess can start at four to six. Cerebrum_NN, the Dzhakayev school and Eidos work with pre-school age and younger. The municipal A. E. Karpov school (Lomonosova St. 13a) and the republic children's sports school on Imama Shamilya Avenue admit children after an initial assessment of level and interest. In addition, chess lessons have been part of the years 1-4 curriculum in every general school in Dagestan since 2016 - a child will get a basic introduction to the rules at primary school.
Parents should weigh up several things at once: the age and level of the group, the coach themselves, the district, the schedule, whether there is tournament practice, how many children study together and what the mood is at the trial lesson.
What chess gives a child
- ConcentrationA single game holds the attention for 30-60 minutes at a stretch. That focus later helps in lessons too.
- Understanding consequencesOver the board nothing happens by itself. A child gets used to calculating a move in advance.
- Losing calmlySometimes this matters more than the wins: after a loss a child does not give up but sits down to a new game.
- A communityPeers appear alongside them from outside the classroom and the yard, with a warm circle of their own.
- Tournament experienceTrips away, the regulations and playing under the clock all teach a child to manage on their own.
Starting from nothing is fine too - nobody will judge you
Dzhakayev's own school (Imama Shamilya Ave. 18G) works with adults, offering group and individual lessons. The Dagestan House of Chess at Lomonosova St. 12 is a place for casual games and official republic tournaments. The city amateur format Vibe Chess is somewhere you can turn up knowing only the rules.
You do not need a rating or a rank. Nor do you have to join a group - you can work one-to-one, or simply come to club meetups and amateur tournaments. Competitive chess and the amateur format are two different worlds; in the amateur one what counts is not the result but the fact that you turned up.
Lessons at a club or a school
Regular lessons, a programme, a coach - if you want it systematic.
An individual coach
The fastest of the formats for progress, with a flexible schedule. It costs more.
Club meetings
Casual games, company, city tournaments rated and unrated.
Vibe Chess
City amateur tournaments in cafes and bars. No rating requirements.
Online lessons
If travelling is awkward, there are online schools not tied to a city.
Studying on your own
Books, lichess or chess.com, going over your games - alongside the lessons.
How to look for a coach in Makhachkala
We deliberately do not compile a «top coaches in Makhachkala». There is no objective data for a ranking, and subjective selections are often misleading. Criteria for choosing are more use.
The coaches work at the schools and clubs listed above and can be contacted directly through their websites. The A. E. Karpov school has the main municipal pool of coaches under international grandmaster Dzhakay Dzhakayev. Dzhakayev's own school offers an individual approach. The general level of Makhachkala's coaching staff is shaped by the federation's work and by the systematic introduction of chess into the school curriculum.
Experience with children
A child needs not the strongest player but the one who can explain. Ask how many children of that age the coach has taught.
Sporting title
Candidate master, master or international master is a pleasant line, but it guarantees nothing in itself. What matters more is whether the holder of that title can explain.
Experience preparing for tournaments
If the plan is to work towards ranks, what matters is a coach who has already taken children to norm events and knows the regulations.
Reviews and recommendations
A first-hand review from parents or adult pupils is worth more than a score on an aggregator. Ask people you know and look in VK groups.
District and format
A long journey for a child is already a minus. A good coach in another district sometimes gives less than an average one near home. If the travel is hard, online lessons help.
Price
Prices vary widely: from free municipal programmes to 1,500-2,500 roubles an hour individually with coaches with serious results.
An individual approach
At a first lesson the coach should first find out about the child rather than switching straight into a prepared «programme».
Communication with parents
With a good coach it is clear what you are working on, why, and what is already working. An answer of «everything's fine» with no detail is a bad sign.
A trial lesson
Do not pay for a season ticket on the strength of a photograph and a description alone. A trial lesson, and better two, is the standard.
A guide to chess tuition prices in Makhachkala
The price depends on the school, the format and the coach's title. Below is a guide to the main formats of chess tuition in Makhachkala for 2025-2026.
The A. E. Karpov Chess Sports School
A municipal institution of supplementary education at Lomonosova St. 13a. The sports-training programmes are subsidised or free for selected children.
The republic children's sports school
The republic children's and youth sports school at Imama Shamilya Ave. 70B.
The Sokol children's sports school and children's sports school No. 4
Chess sections within municipal multi-discipline sports schools. Prices follow the supplementary-education programme.
The Dzhakayev chess school
The school of an international grandmaster. Prices depend on booking and format.
The Eidos chess school
A private school at Imama Shamilya Ave. 41B. Prices are available by telephoning the school.
Cerebrum_NN children's centre
A chess track at a children's centre in the Leninsky district.
The general market level
A guide to Makhachkala's chess clubs. Suitable for a first meeting with a coach.
A Vibe Chess amateur tournament
Vibe Chess evenings in the city's coffee houses and venues. Registration through the Telegram bot.
The chess federations of Dagestan and Makhachkala
Two registered structures work in parallel in Makhachkala and the republic - a republic one and a city one. Under their auspices come the Dagestan championships, the Republic Cup, the Gapizov Memorial, the K. Ismailov Memorial and the international tournament «The Caspian - a Sea of Friendship».
Chess tournaments in Makhachkala
The calendar lives mainly on the site of the Chess Federation of the Republic of Dagestan (chessrd.ru). The main regular events are the Republic of Dagestan Rapid Cup (several stages a year by age group), the Dagestan classical championship, the Nurbagand Gapizov Memorial (a stage of the Russian Cup), the Kadyr Ismailov Memorial and the international team tournament «The Caspian - a Sea of Friendship». All rated tournaments can be filtered in the ratings.ruchess.ru system by region 05.
What the formats are
Vibe chess in Makhachkala
Vibe Chess runs city chess evenings in the cafes and bars of Makhachkala. Short games, different opponents, real conversation between rounds. It suits anyone who wants to come back to chess without the atmosphere of an exam or the pressure of competition.
It is not a replacement for the classical schools but an addition to them. After a working week you do not want to sweat over the board - you want a good evening with a game and some interesting people. Vibe Chess has a page of its own for Makhachkala with all the rules of the format.
What a «vibe tournament» means
- Short games: 3+2 or 5+3.
- Several rounds take place over an evening, with new opponents each time.
- People of varying strength play, and there is no need at all to be a master.
- In the breaks between games you can talk and order tea or coffee.
- Coming alone is an ordinary thing here, and you will be gladly welcomed.
- Announcements of the evenings and registration go through the Telegram bot.
The history of chess in Makhachkala
The key dates of Dagestan chess - from its first master Magomed Bilitinov to today's international tournament «The Caspian - a Sea of Friendship».
Magomed Bilitinov, a mathematics lecturer at Dagestan State University, becomes Dagestan's first USSR Master of Sport in chess.
Makhachkala's Alexander Volzhin becomes Dagestan's first grandmaster.
Magaram Magomedov receives the international grandmaster title.
The A. E. Karpov Municipal Chess Sports School (Lomonosova St. 13a) is founded in Makhachkala - Dagestan's main municipal chess school.
Makhachkala's Dzhakay Dzhakayev becomes Dagestan's third grandmaster at the age of 26.
A specialist chess school named after Bagandaliev opens in Izberbash.
Chess lessons are introduced for years 1-4 in every school in the Republic of Dagestan. Dagestan becomes one of the first Russian regions to introduce chess systematically into the school curriculum.
Dzhakay Dzhakayev is elected president of the Chess Federation of the Republic of Dagestan. In the same year Gasangusein Gasanguseinov takes charge of the Chess Federation of the City of Makhachkala.
Taymaz Temirbekov, a product of Makhachkala's Karpov school, becomes a two-time European junior champion.
Dagestan's children win 7 medals at the Russian, Asian and world championships.
Gasangusein Gasanguseinov is awarded a Commendation from the head of Makhachkala for developing chess in the city and is re-elected president of the city federation.
Makhachkala hosts the international team tournament «The Caspian - a Sea of Friendship» - one of the republic's key international events.
Notable chess players connected with Makhachkala
Names with a confirmed connection to Makhachkala and the Republic of Dagestan. Every card links to the source of the biography.
How to choose a chess school: a short checklist
For parents
- The age and level of the group: will the child end up somewhere they find interesting.
- The coach: have they worked with children of this age, and do they ask about your child.
- The district: can you manage the journeys without strain. If the travel is hard, online makes more sense.
- The make-up of the group: is the average level close to the child's, so that they do not turn out to be «the weakest of all».
- Tournament practice: does the school plan to take its pupils to city events.
- The atmosphere: after the trial lesson the child asks to come again.
- The price and the package: what the cost includes, what it does not, and whether there is a trial lesson.
- The schedule: does it fit around school and the other activities.
- Reviews: a first-hand word from parents you know is worth more than scores on an aggregator.
For adults
- Whether they run adult groups, not only children's ones.
- Whether they will take a beginner who knows only how the pieces move.
- Whether there is a chance simply to play rather than only to study to a programme.
- Whether there are evening lessons you can make it to after work.
- Whether the competitive race presses on you where you have no use for it.
- Whether they run amateur tournaments, so there is something to aim for.
- Whether the format itself suits you: a group, one-to-one, online or club meetups.
How a school, a club, a coach and a tournament differ
Frequently asked questions about chess in Makhachkala
Where can you learn chess in Makhachkala?›
The city's main addresses are the A. E. Karpov Municipal Chess Sports School (Lomonosova St. 13a, Sovetsky district), the Dagestan House of Chess (Lomonosova St. 12), the Dzhakayev chess school (Imama Shamilya Ave. 18G), the Eidos school (Imama Shamilya Ave. 41B) and the Sokol children's sports school (Imama Shamilya Ave. 74). The republic federation is at chessrd.ru.
Which chess schools are there in the city?›
On the state side there is the republic children's sports school of the Ministry of Education and Science (Imama Shamilya Ave. 70B). On the municipal side, the A. E. Karpov Chess Sports School (Lomonosova 13a), the adaptive sports school (Rasula Gamzatova Ave. 97), the G. Gamidov sports complex, children's sports school No. 4 (Nasrutdinova 44d) and the Sokol children's sports school. Private: the Dzhakayev school, Eidos and Cerebrum_NN. The tournament venue is the Dagestan House of Chess at Lomonosova St. 12.
Where do I find a chess club near me?›
In the Sovetsky district there is the Karpov school (Lomonosova 13a), the Dagestan House of Chess (Lomonosova 12), the Dzhakayev school (Imama Shamilya Ave. 18G), Eidos (Imama Shamilya Ave. 41B), the Sokol children's sports school (Imama Shamilya Ave. 74) and the republic children's sports school (Imama Shamilya Ave. 70B). In the Leninsky district, the adaptive sports school (Rasula Gamzatova Ave. 97), the Gamidov sports complex (M. Gadzhiyeva 41/1), children's sports school No. 4 (Nasrutdinova 44d) and Cerebrum_NN (Amet-Khana Sultana 16 blk 5).
Where should I send my child for chess in Makhachkala?›
At the city's private and municipal schools the standard starting age is 4-6. The Karpov school works as a municipal children's sports school - admission follows an initial assessment of level and interest. In addition, since 1 September 2016 chess lessons have been part of the years 1-4 curriculum in every school in Dagestan, so a child gets a basic introduction to the rules at primary school already.
Can an adult start playing chess from scratch?›
Yes. The Dzhakayev chess school works with adults, offering group and individual lessons. The Dagestan House of Chess is a place for casual games and official republic tournaments. Vibe Chess Makhachkala runs city chess evenings in cafes and bars - the gentlest of the formats.
How much does a chess coach cost in Makhachkala?›
The starting price is from about 2,000 roubles for a monthly package of lessons. The A. E. Karpov Municipal Chess Sports School is a municipal institution of supplementary education, and its programme lessons are free or carry a nominal charge. The exact prices of the private Dzhakayev and Eidos schools are available by telephoning the schools.
Where do I find the tournament calendar?›
The official calendar is on the site of the Chess Federation of the Republic of Dagestan (chessrd.ru/tournaments2025.html). The main regular events are the Republic of Dagestan Rapid Cup (several stages a year by age group), the Dagestan classical chess championship, the Nurbagand Gapizov Memorial (a stage of the Russian Cup), the Kadyr Ismailov Memorial and the international team tournament «The Caspian - a Sea of Friendship». The national calendar is at ruchess.ru.
Where are the official chess competitions held?›
The main venue is the Dagestan House of Chess at Lomonosova St. 12 (the 50th Anniversary of October Park). Also the Karpov school at Lomonosova St. 13a. Most republic events under the auspices of the republic federation take place there.
What is the Chess Federation of the Republic of Dagestan?›
The Dagestan Republic Chess Federation, a public organisation. Site: chessrd.ru. Email: chessrd@mail.ru. Telephone: 8 (988) 293-29-44. The president is Dzhakay Abakarovich Dzhakayev (an international grandmaster who has held the post since August 2018). In parallel, since 2018 the Chess Federation of the City of Makhachkala, a local public organisation, has worked under president Gasangusein Mummuyevich Gasanguseinov.
What is the Gapizov Memorial?›
The Nurbagand Gapizov Memorial is a traditional stage of the Russian Rapid Cup held in Makhachkala under the auspices of the Chess Federation of the Republic of Dagestan. One of the main tournaments in Dagestan's chess calendar.
What is the tournament «The Caspian - a Sea of Friendship»?›
An international team chess tournament held in Makhachkala. The most recent was on 3-11 October 2025. It is part of Dagestan's international contacts with the chess schools of the Caspian region.
What is the difference between a chess school and a chess club?›
A school builds a route: its own programme, a coach, regular lessons, an assessment of level and a gradual move into competition. A club is a venue where people simply play, meet other players and get to local tournaments. In Makhachkala both roles are combined by the Karpov school and the Dagestan House of Chess at Lomonosova St. 12.
Do I need a rating to play in a tournament?›
Amateur meetups and Vibe Chess are unrated and you can turn up from scratch. Tournaments rated by the Russian federation require the player to be registered in the system, through a club or the republic federation. Sporting events with rank norms need a confirmed rank or a permit.
Where can I play chess without the competitive pressure?›
Vibe Chess Makhachkala runs city chess evenings in cafes and bars. The games are short (3+2 or 5+3), the levels vary, and nobody judges you after every mistake. Announcements and registration are in the Telegram bot.
Can I come to chess on my own?›
Yes, to every format. Most people come to the city chess meetups alone, and the games introduce people to each other by themselves. And signing up for lessons at a school alone is an entirely familiar thing to do.
How do I tell whether a coach suits my child?›
There are three simple signs. First: after a few lessons the child goes willingly rather than under duress. Second: in their free time they sit down at a board of their own accord, online or with their parents. Third: the coach talks to you with respect and to the point, sets out the plan and explains what each step is for. Two out of three and the choice is a good one.
Solve a chess puzzle
Mate in one - a real position from a chess database. Solve it and see if you're a fit for us.
How to run a tournament in Makhachkala without being an arbiter
No arbiter skills required. The app takes over the part that usually stops people from running tournaments at all: who plays whom in each round and who finishes first.
- Swiss systemworks for ten players and for fifty
- Round robinfor a small group that wants to play everyone
- Free meetupfor those who do not need a bracket at all
Fancy trying a vibe chess evening in Makhachkala?
Vibe Chess is a series of city chess meetups in the coffee houses and cafes of Makhachkala. No ratings and no sporting tension. A format for anyone who is only thinking about coming back to the board or wants to play near home with no commitments at all.
More about chess in Makhachkala and in other cities
Besides the schools and sections, Makhachkala hosts the informal Vibe Chess evenings - short games and new acquaintances in cafes and bars, where you can turn up knowing only the rules. And below are guides to learning in neighbouring cities and a catalogue of openings for practice on your own.