A few tables where people linger longer than at a brochure rack
We bring boards, clocks and a host, set up the zone on your stand or in the networking area and run it for as long as the programme needs: an hour, half a day or the whole day.
How the format works in general - chess at a conference. This page is about the mechanics of the zone and Moscow venues.
A few tables run all day. A visitor sits down for one quick game and moves on - the most resilient format for an expo
One strong player against ten to twenty visitors at once. It draws a crowd and looks great in photos
A short tournament with standings and a prize, during a break in the programme or at the end of the day
After the official part: people have already met each other, and all that is left is to play
More detail - simultaneous exhibition, a blitz tournament in an evening, a tournament at a festival.
Everything you need to plan in advance comes down to two numbers: how many square metres you have and how much footfall you expect.
A table for two takes roughly a metre by a metre and a half, aisle included. A compact four-board zone fits into 10-12 square metres
A quick game lasts five to ten minutes, so one board sees six to twelve people an hour. Work out the number of tables from that
Tables, chairs and normal lighting. No power socket needed: mechanical clocks run without electricity, and the app lives on a phone
One host for a small zone, two for a tournament with standings or a simul. Nobody has to keep score by hand
We will not promise you more traffic to your stand: we have no figures from other companies' events. We take responsibility for what can be checked - how the zone runs and how many games go through it.
Expocentre, Crocus Expo, VDNKh and the like: long days, huge footfall, and the zone has to keep going for hours
A packed programme and short breaks. A simul or a one-hour blitz works better here than a permanent zone
Offsites and partner conferences: an evening tournament after the programme draws in almost everyone who is still around
Small industry conferences and meetups: the zone fits easily into the shared space
At big exhibitions the key is to sort out access and equipment delivery in advance: every complex has its own rules, and it is the exhibitor who arranges this, not the contractor.
Tell us what the event is, which venue, how many square metres you have for the zone and for how many hours. We reply the same day - we work out the tables and staff and give you a price.
It depends on the footfall you expect. As a rule of thumb, one board handles six to twelve people an hour. Three or four tables are usually enough for a small stand; large ones take six or more.
We have no figures from other companies' events, and we are not going to make them up. What we can honestly say: people linger at a chessboard longer than at a brochure rack, and conversations start on their own.
No. Mechanical clocks run without a socket, and pairings and standings live in an app on a phone. That is handy at expos, where sockets are always in short supply.
Yes: your branding in the zone, your prizes, your own tournament name. The rules of the game stay FIDE rules, though - we do not rewrite them for branding.
For a zone that is not a problem: the host explains the rules in a minute, and the games are short and informal. People who do not play at all usually get drawn in by watching the next table.
A zone can run all day with breaks, a simul takes an hour to an hour and a half, a blitz tournament about an hour. We fit it to the event programme.
Yes, including congress centres and hotels in the Moscow region. Travel beyond the MKAD is discussed separately - send us the address and we will tell you straight away.
Every format in the city - corporate tournaments in Moscow. An evening for clients - a client event. Equipment - chess set rental. Budget - what it costs.
