A city guide to the chess life of Moscow
Chess schools, clubs and chess lessons in Moscow
A full guide to chess in Moscow: where to learn, how to find a coach, a chess club, a tournament or simply somewhere to play. Verified addresses of schools and clubs across every district, information about the city and national federations, coaches, tournaments and the chess history of the capital.
Useful for parents looking for a school for a child and for adults thinking about returning to the board.
The chess capital of Russia
The Botvinnik Central Chess Club has stood at Gogolevsky Boulevard 14 since 1956 - the historic home of the USSR Central Chess Club, where the world's first Chess Museum opened in 1980. Today the Chess Federation of Russia and the head branch of the Russian Chess School are based there too. At Bolshaya Dmitrovka 11, bldg. 2 are the Tigran Petrosian Chess Club (since 1968) and the Yunost Moskvy Olympic reserve school. At Khoroshevskoye Highway 1 is the Anatoly Karpov Chess School. Around the districts there are the Labyrinths of Chess, EduChess and Moscow Chess School networks, the Etude school in Otradnoye, and the Sokolniki, Oktyabrsky and Belaya Ladya clubs.
Moscow is bound up with the names of Alexander Alekhine (born here), Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Sergey Karjakin and Ian Nepomniachtchi. In 1985, at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Kasparov became the youngest world champion in history.
Chess schools and clubs in Moscow
The chess addresses of Moscow: the historic building of the Central Chess Club, the state Anatoly Karpov school, the Yunost Moskvy Olympic reserve school, the Russian Chess School, the Labyrinths of Chess and EduChess networks, the Etude school, and the Sokolniki, Oktyabrsky, Belaya Ladya and VDNKh clubs. Every card is a working organisation with public contact details.
Which opening suits your character?
Take a short quiz and find out which chess opening suits your MBTI personality type - 16 types, each with its own opening and a walkthrough on the board.
Where there is chess near you
Moscow has 12 administrative districts. Below are the chess addresses in those districts where we have confirmed venues.
- The Botvinnik Central Chess Club and Chess Museum - Gogolevsky Blvd. 14, bldg. 1
- The Chess Federation of Russia - Gogolevsky Blvd. 14, bldg. 1
- The Petrosian Club and the Yunost Moskvy school - B. Dmitrovka 11, bldg. 2
- The Moscow Chess Federation - Tverskoy Blvd. 14, bldg. 5
- The Oktyabrsky Club - B. Polyanka 28, bldg. 1
- Belaya Ladya - Neskuchny Garden (Gorky Park)
- EduChess - Shmitovsky Proyezd 20; Mytnaya St. 7, bldg. 1
- Russian Chess School (Vzlyotnaya Polosa) - Sretensky Blvd. 6/1, bldg. 1
- Chess Club Moscow / myChess - Kudrinskaya Sq. 1
- The Anatoly Karpov Chess School - Khoroshevskoye Hwy. 1
- Etude - Rimskogo-Korsakova St. 10 (Otradnoye)
- The RSSU Chess House - Vilgelma Pika St. 4
- The VDNKh Chess Club - Prospekt Mira 119, bldg. 102a
- Labyrinths of Chess - Sedova St. 3 (Sviblovo)
- The Sokolniki chess and draughts club - 6th Luchevoy Prosek 3
- Vostok Olympic reserve school - Aviamotornaya St. 40; Federativny Prospekt 37B
- EduChess - Novokosinskaya St. 20, bldg. 1
- Russian Chess School Skolkovo - Bolshoy Blvd. 40
- EduChess - Udaltsova St. 31
- Labyrinths of Chess - Udaltsova St. 26, bldg. 1 (Ramenki)
- Labyrinths of Chess - Proizvodstvennaya St. 5 (Solntsevo)
- Labyrinths of Chess - Nezhinskaya St. 13 (Ochakovo-Matveyevskoye)
- Labyrinths of Chess - Akademika Pilyugina St. 14, bldg. 2 (Lomonosovsky)
- Labyrinths of Chess - Tarusskaya St. 14, bldg. 2 (Yasenevo)
- Labyrinths of Chess - Akademika Artsimovicha St. 22 (Tyoply Stan)
- Russian Chess School Shchukino - Shchukinskaya St. 2
When to start a child, and what to choose
Most Moscow schools take children from 4 or 5. At Etude, the Russian Chess School, Labyrinths of Chess, EduChess and Moscow Chess School the standard starting age is 4 or 5. Competitive training at the state Olympic reserve schools (the Karpov school at Khoroshevskoye 1, Yunost Moskvy at B. Dmitrovka 11, the Vostok school) comes later, after an initial assessment of level and interest.
What parents should look at: the age and level of the group, the coach, the district, the timetable, whether there is tournament practice, how many children are in the group and what the atmosphere is like at the trial lesson.
What chess gives a child
- ConcentrationA game is thirty to sixty minutes in a single focus. That is a skill in its own right, and it pays off at school.
- Understanding consequencesIn chess nothing happens “by accident”. A child learns to think a move ahead.
- Losing calmlyArguably more important than the wins. A child learns not to fall apart after a defeat and to try again.
- A communityThe child gets a circle of peers outside school and the courtyard, with an atmosphere of its own.
- Tournament experienceTravel, regulations, playing on the clock - all of it feeds a growing independence.
You can start from scratch - and nobody will laugh
The Russian Chess School, EduChess and Moscow Chess School work with adults - group, individual and online programmes. Club formats for adults: the Botvinnik Central Chess Club at Gogolevsky 14; the Petrosian Club at B. Dmitrovka 11; the Oktyabrsky Club at B. Polyanka 28; Sokolniki; VDNKh; Chess Club Moscow at Kudrinskaya 1. The city's amateur format is Vibe Chess - you can turn up knowing nothing but 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 progress and a flexible timetable. 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 with no district attached.
Studying on your own
Books, lichess or chess.com, going over your games - alongside the lessons.
How to find a coach in Moscow
We deliberately do not publish a “top coaches in Moscow” list. There is no objective data for a ranking, and subjective selections are often misleading. Better to give you the criteria to choose by.
The coaches work at the schools and clubs listed above - you can write to them directly through their sites. State coaches are at the Karpov school, the Yunost Moskvy school and the Vostok school. Private pools are at the Russian Chess School, Etude, Labyrinths of Chess, EduChess and Moscow Chess School. Individual coaches are found through the clubs.
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, international master are a guide but not a guarantee. What matters is the title combined with teaching experience.
Experience preparing for tournaments
If the aim is to travel for norms, you need a coach who has taken pupils to tournaments and understands the regulations.
Reviews and recommendations
A live word from parents or adult pupils beats a rating on an aggregator site. Ask friends and the VK groups.
The district and the format
Moscow is huge and the journey matters a great deal. A good coach right across town sometimes works worse than an average one near home. The alternative is online lessons.
Price
Prices vary widely: from around 1,000 roubles an hour with a beginning teacher to 3,000-4,000 an hour with coaches whose pupils have serious results.
An individual approach
At a trial lesson the coach should be asking questions about the pupil rather than switching straight into “the programme”.
Communication with parents
With a sensible coach it is clear what you are doing, why, and how progress is going. Answers along the lines of “all fine” are a bad sign.
A trial lesson
Never buy a season ticket off a photo and a description. One or two trial lessons are standard.
A guide to chess tuition prices in Moscow
The price depends on the school, the format and the coach's title. Below are the going rates for the main chess tuition formats in Moscow for 2025-2026.
Moscow Chess School - group lessons
4 sessions of 2 academic hours, once a week. A network of branches in Moscow and Khimki.
EduChess - individual lessons at home
The coach travels anywhere inside the ring road. A season ticket for 5 lessons is 12,500 roubles.
EduChess - online
Online with a rated coach. A season ticket for 5 lessons is 8,500 roubles.
Russian Chess School - the VIP rate
A VIP card with lessons from 500 roubles, depending on the tariff. The full price list is on the site.
State Olympic reserve schools
The Anatoly Karpov School, the Yunost Moskvy school and the Vostok multi-sport school. The basic competitive training programme is subsidised or free for the children they select.
An individual coach
Suitable for a first look.
A Vibe Chess amateur tournament
City chess evenings in cafes and bars. Registration in the Telegram bot.
The chess federations of Moscow
Two federations work in Moscow at once: the city one, which is responsible for Moscow, and the national one, which handles the national calendar and ratings. The national federation is based in Moscow - which creates a unique situation: the country's principal chess office and the city federation work in the same city and often coordinate events.
Chess tournaments in Moscow
The calendar lives in several places at once. The city one is on the Moscow federation site (moscowchess.org/tournaments). The national one is on ruchess.ru. Moscow's main annual fixtures are the Moscow Championship, the Moscow Cup, the Mikhail Tal Memorial (since 2006) and the open city sports association championship held at the Anatoly Karpov school. All rated tournaments can be filtered on ratings.ruchess.ru by region 77.
What the formats are
Vibe chess in Moscow
Vibe Chess runs city chess evenings in the cafes and bars of Moscow. Short games, changing 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 substitute for the classic 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 in it and some interesting people. Vibe Chess has its own Moscow page, with all the rules of the format.
What a “vibe tournament” means
- Short games: 3+2 or 5+3.
- Several rounds in an evening, with different opponents.
- The levels vary - nobody has to be strong.
- Between games you can talk and order a coffee or a drink.
- You can come on your own - that is the normal way of it.
- Registration and announcements are in the Telegram bot.
The history of chess in Moscow
The key dates of Moscow chess - from the Moscow Chess Circle of the 1870s to world championship matches on the stage of the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.
The Moscow Chess Circle appears - the first standing organisation of chess enthusiasts in the city.
Alexander Alekhine, the future 4th world champion, is born in Moscow.
Mikhail Botvinnik becomes the 6th world champion - the first Soviet one. For decades Moscow turns into the chess capital of the world.
The USSR Central Chess Club moves into the mansion at Gogolevsky Boulevard 14. From then on, Gogolevsky 14 is the country's principal chess address.
Moscow hosts the First Moscow International Chess Tournament - the biggest international event of the decade.
In Moscow, Tigran Petrosian beats Botvinnik and becomes the 9th world chess champion.
The world's first Chess Museum opens at Gogolevsky Boulevard 14.
Moscow hosts the legendary 48-game Karpov - Kasparov match for the crown. FIDE president Campomanes stops it with no winner declared.
At the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Garry Kasparov beats Anatoly Karpov 13-11 and at 22 becomes the youngest world champion in history.
The Anatoly Karpov Chess School, a division of the Moscow city sports association, opens at Khoroshevskoye Highway 1.
The annual Mikhail Tal Memorial is founded in Moscow.
A new building for the chess and draughts club opens in Sokolniki Park, on the site of the historic 1964 pavilion that burned down in 1997.
Famous chess players connected with Moscow
Names with a confirmed connection to Moscow - they were born here, lived here, worked here or became world champion here. Every card links to a source for the biography.
A checklist for choosing a chess school
For parents
- The age and level of the group - will the child land somewhere interesting for them.
- The coach - do they have experience with children of that age, and do they ask about your child.
- The district - whether you can realistically travel there regularly. In Moscow the journey often decides which end of the city to look in.
- The group's level - is the average level even, or will the child be “the weakest of all”.
- Tournament practice - is there a plan to enter local events.
- The atmosphere - after the trial lesson the child wants to go again.
- Price and package - what is included, what is not, and whether there is a trial lesson.
- The timetable - does it fit around school and other activities.
- Reviews - live ones are better, not only from an aggregator.
For adults
- Whether there are adult groups, not only children's.
- Whether you can come from scratch - literally knowing only the rules.
- Whether there is a casual-play format, not only lessons.
- An evening timetable - can you get there after work.
- Whether the competitive pressure is heavier than you want.
- Whether there are amateur tournaments - for your own motivation.
- Whether the format suits you: a group, one-to-one, online or a club.
School, club, coach or tournament - the differences
Common questions about chess in Moscow
Where can you learn chess in Moscow?›
The city's main chess addresses are the Botvinnik Central Chess Club at Gogolevsky Boulevard 14, bldg. 1 (central district), the Petrosian Chess Club and the Yunost Moskvy school at Bolshaya Dmitrovka 11, bldg. 2 (central district), the Anatoly Karpov Chess School at Khoroshevskoye Highway 1 (northern district), the Russian Chess School (several branches), the Etude school in Otradnoye (north-east), and the Labyrinths of Chess, EduChess and Moscow Chess School networks. The city federation is the MCF (moscowchess.org).
Which chess schools are there in the city?›
The state sector: the Anatoly Karpov school, the Yunost Moskvy Olympic reserve school, the Vostok multi-sport school and the RSSU Chess House. City clubs: the Botvinnik Central Chess Club, the Petrosian Club, the Oktyabrsky Club, the Sokolniki chess and draughts club, Belaya Ladya in the Neskuchny Garden and the VDNKh Chess Club. The private sector: the Russian Chess School, Etude, Labyrinths of Chess (7 branches), EduChess, Moscow Chess School and Chess Club Moscow.
Where do I find a chess club near me?›
In the central district: the Central Chess Club at Gogolevsky 14; the Petrosian Club at B. Dmitrovka 11, bldg. 2; the Oktyabrsky Club at B. Polyanka 28; Belaya Ladya in the Neskuchny Garden; Chess Club Moscow at Kudrinskaya Sq. 1. In the north: the Karpov school at Khoroshevskoye Hwy. 1. In the north-east: Etude (Rimskogo-Korsakova 10), the RSSU (Vilgelma Pika 4) and the VDNKh club. In the east: Sokolniki (6th Luchevoy Prosek 3) and the Vostok school (Federativny Prospekt 37B). In the west: Russian Chess School Skolkovo and the Labyrinths branches in Ramenki, Solntsevo and Ochakovo-Matveyevskoye. In the south-west: three Labyrinths branches (Lomonosovsky, Yasenevo, Tyoply Stan). In the north-west: Russian Chess School Shchukino.
Where should I send a child for chess in Moscow?›
It depends on their age. The Etude school takes children from 4. At Labyrinths of Chess, EduChess, the Russian Chess School and Moscow Chess School the standard starting age is 4 or 5. The state Olympic reserve schools (Yunost Moskvy, the Karpov school, the Vostok school) take them later, after an initial assessment of level and of how interested the child is in the competitive side.
Can an adult start playing chess from scratch?›
Yes. The Russian Chess School, EduChess and Moscow Chess School all work with adults - group, individual and online programmes. For a club format there is the Petrosian Club, the Central Chess Club at Gogolevsky, the Oktyabrsky Club and Sokolniki. The gentlest way in is Chess Club Moscow at Kudrinskaya Sq. 1, and the Vibe Chess city chess evenings in cafes and bars.
How much does a chess coach cost in Moscow?›
Confirmed 2025 prices: Moscow Chess School - 4,800 roubles a month for group lessons (4 sessions of 2 academic hours). EduChess - an individual lesson at home inside the ring road 3,000 roubles, or 12,500 for a season ticket of 5; online with a rated coach 2,000 roubles, or 8,500 for 5. Russian Chess School - a VIP rate with lessons from 500 roubles. The state Olympic reserve schools are often free for the children they select.
Where do I find the tournament calendar?›
The city calendar is on the Moscow Chess Federation site (moscowchess.org/tournaments). National events are on ruchess.ru. Regular Moscow fixtures: the Moscow Championship, the Moscow Cup, the Mikhail Tal Memorial and the open city sports association championship held at the Karpov school.
Where are the official chess competitions held?›
The main venues are the Botvinnik Central Chess Club at Gogolevsky Boulevard 14, bldg. 1; the Petrosian Chess Club at Bolshaya Dmitrovka 11, bldg. 2; the Anatoly Karpov Chess School at Khoroshevskoye Highway 1; and the Sokolniki chess and draughts club. Regulations and entries go through the Moscow federation.
What is the Moscow Chess Federation?›
A regional public sports organisation. Its site is moscowchess.org. The office is at Tverskoy Boulevard 14, bldg. 5, Moscow. Telephone +7 (495) 781-22-02. Email info@mskchess.ru. President: Sergey Lazarev. Telegram: @mskchess1. The federation is responsible for the city's tournaments, ratings and the work of Moscow's schools.
What is the Chess Federation of Russia and how is it connected with Moscow?›
It is the national federation. It is based in Moscow at Gogolevsky Boulevard 14, bldg. 1 - the same building as the Botvinnik Central Chess Club. President: Andrey Vasilyevich Filatov. Telephones +7 (495) 212-06-13 and +7 (495) 691-97-55. Site: ruchess.ru. The federation runs the national calendar, the ratings and the rating-category system. Regional matters in Moscow are handled by the Moscow federation.
What is the difference between a chess school and a chess club?›
A school is a system: a programme, a coach, regular lessons, assessment and a route into tournaments. A club is a place where you can play and meet other players. In Moscow the Botvinnik Central Chess Club, the Petrosian Club and the Karpov school combine both roles - regular lessons and club play.
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 national federation require the player to be registered in its system (through a club or the city federation). Competitive tournaments with rating-category norms need a confirmed category or clearance.
Where can I play chess without the competitive pressure?›
The Sokolniki chess club (daily 10:00-22:00), the VDNKh club (daily 11:00-22:00) and Belaya Ladya in the Neskuchny Garden are open formats for casual play. Chess Club Moscow at Kudrinskaya Sq. 1 is a chess bar. Vibe Chess Moscow runs city chess evenings in cafes and bars. The games are short (3+2 or 5+3), the levels vary, and nobody is judging you after every mistake.
Can I come to chess on my own?›
Yes, to all of the formats. Most people come to city chess meetups without company - the format connects you through the games. And coming to a school on your own is standard.
How do I tell whether a coach suits my child?›
Three signs. First, after a few lessons the child wants to go rather than digging their heels in. Second, between lessons they play by themselves, online or with their parents. Third, the coach talks to you as adults: sets out a plan and explains what is being done and why. Two out of three is already a decent sign.
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 Moscow 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.
works for ten players and for fifty
for a small group that wants to play everyone
for those who do not need a bracket at all
- 1Creating the event takes a minute
- 2Open registration and drop the link into the chat
- 3Pairings follow FIDE rules (Dutch system, the bbpPairings engine)
- 4Results go in with two taps and the table recalculates instantly
More about chess in Moscow and other cities
Besides the schools and sections, Moscow has the informal Vibe Chess evenings - short games and new people 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 practising on your own.