What to do in the evening in Novokuznetsk: chess and new people
Evening meetups over a wooden board, games against a variety of opponents and real acquaintances with no formalities - in the lofts, anticafes and coffee houses of central Novokuznetsk.
No rank norms as in a section and no list of «our people» as in a closed business club. An ordinary evening for a group who have gathered to play and get to know one another, with no forms, no dress code and no corporate rituals.
A single meetup where the game and meeting people come together
We gather adult residents of Novokuznetsk and people who have moved to the city to spend an evening differently: over the board, against a variety of opponents and with no script. In 1938 master Mikhail Goryainov opened the city's first chess club; in 1972 Novokuznetsk-born Yuri Anikaev, in the USSR team, won the world student team championship in Graz; in 2000 Sergei Iskusnykh became the first grandmaster in the history of Novokuznetsk. Since 2001 the sports school named after Boris Kustov has been working - the former director of the ZSMK works, who rebuilt the city's chess infrastructure. The city has a chess biography, and now it is acquiring a format for those who came to play and meet people rather than to earn a rank. At Vibe Chess in Novokuznetsk five different opponents pass in front of you over a single evening.
Five conversations, each starting with the opening and by the final position going anywhere at all: work, the city, plans for the summer. That, in fact, is networking - just with no timetable and no signs on the tables.
What there will not be at an evening
- Entry by acquaintance and paid membership
- A strict dress code and rules of conduct in the room
- Self-introductions and one-minute pitches
- Rank norms and sporting paperwork
- An established crowd a newcomer cannot squeeze into
What you will find
A small room in a decent place, heavy wooden pieces, warm light and music at half volume. Guests who know how to listen and how to say something worth hearing. Games in which an accurate move and the conversation that starts the moment the position is resigned are equally valuable.
When the table is closed there is still an hour or an hour and a half ahead, and that is exactly when the most interesting conversations happen. Nobody throws anyone out: the lights in the room are simply turned down bit by bit.
Who enjoys the chess evenings in Novokuznetsk
Want systematic lessons rather than a playing crowd? Then open the guide to the chess schools of Novokuznetsk. Travelling around Kuzbass and the region: we put on the same evenings both over the board in Kemerovo, and at the Vibe Chess meetups in Novosibirsk.
Where we gather: the anticafes and bars of the centre
The evenings take place in cosy spaces in central Novokuznetsk - anticafes, coffee houses and calm restobars where you can sit down at a board and talk. This is a different genre from the sections and weekend tournaments at the Champion and Two Kings clubs. We always name the exact venue for the next meetup in the bot.
Duplo Bar
Novokuznetsk's first anticafe: you pay for time, and there are board games, tea and coffee - a cosy space with no bar noise.
The Express club
A dedicated board-game space where gathering with a group over a few games is the usual thing.
The 13 pints restobar
A calm craft restobar in the centre - the option for an evening in a more «bar» key.
The Coffee City coffee house
A coffee house in the same building as the Two Kings chess club - a convenient neutral meeting point.
The anticafe on Entuziastov
An anticafe and board-game shop - a format close to our own evening over the board.
The Yunost cafe
A well-known cafe on the main avenue; for a quiet evening we pick the calmer area.
Most of the venues are in the centre, by Metallurgov Avenue with its Stalinist empire style and its 1930s garden-city architecture. After the games it is easy to carry the evening on with a walk to the Kuznetsk fortress - the first stone fortress beyond the Urals - or to the Metallurgists' Garden and the Tom embankment. The city's chess scene is a strong one (the chess federation, the Champion and Two Kings clubs), and we add an informal evening format to it.
How an evening goes: from the draw to the conversation
A typical scenario for an evening in Novokuznetsk. The exact timings and the number of rounds depend on the venue and the format, but the structure is always much the same.
You come in and settle down
Registration with the organisers, tea or coffee, and the first few minutes for saying hello. Some of the guests are regulars; many people from Novokuznetsk are here for the first time.
A briefing from the host
A quick word on the tournament rules and the timing. If chess stayed behind at school on Metallurgov, this is where you remember how the pieces move.
Pairing the opponents
The Swiss system puts players of similar level opposite one another. There will be no massacre: the pairs are matched by strength every round.
Several fast games
Four to six rounds an evening. In the breaks between them you have time both to fetch a drink and to go over a contested position.
Talking in the breaks
What matters is not the score on the board but the conversations between the games. No script and no set topics, just people talking.
The results and the free part
The prizewinners are announced and a group photo is taken; after that it is informal conversation, for as long as you want to stay.
An evening with no sporting pressure
The evening is put together so that a newcomer does not feel out of place and a strong player still has something to get their teeth into. Combining the two is perfectly possible.
No sporting pressure
This is not the Kuzbass Cup: if you go wrong in the opening, no harm done. What counts here is the evening and the company, not a rank.
You can come on your own
And almost everybody does. Over an evening you will play several opponents, and acquaintances form by themselves.
Cosy places, not a hall with a scoreboard
We gather in the anticafes and coffee houses of the centre, nearer Metallurgov Avenue. Calm light, decent boards and real conversation.
Open entry
No club membership and no formalities. Come in whatever you find comfortable - the barrier to entry is zero.
An evening format
We start around 19:00 and close the tournament part by 22:30. After that it is informal conversation.
Regulars and new faces
Some come regularly, some for the first time. It is the mix that creates that warm atmosphere.
Four versions of the evening to choose from
A classic Swiss, a calm casual evening, fast blitz and team scoring for those who came with colleagues.
What we say when people ask «so what actually goes on there»
What we do differently from other city meetups
The Kuzbass IT and industrial community in one room
The people who come to us are developers from Raspadskaya Coal, IT engineers from EVRAZ and the SibSIU digital engineering centre, graduates of SibSIU and the Kemerovo State University branch, marketers, lawyers and small business owners. No entry by invitation - an open evening for everyone.
A tournament bracket with no lopsided pairings
The pairings are worked out by the tournament software, opponents are matched by strength and the table is open all evening. Your first tournament will not turn into six thrashings in a row.
People come here a second time
We look at one indicator: how many guests come again. People usually come back after the first or second meetup, and that is more honest than any description of the format.
A bot and a channel with no unnecessary noise
Signing up takes a minute and the bot replies with no queue. The channel carries only dates, photos from the evenings and occasional news. We do not ring you, write to your e-mail or fire off reminders.
The club's whole life lives in Telegram
We never send e-mail newsletters or make calls. The dates of the Novokuznetsk evenings, new formats and one-off special projects appear in the channel and in the bot, and that is also the easiest place to sign up and ask a question.
The bot picks up the conversation straight away, finds you a convenient date and reminds you about the meetup the day before. The channel posts dates, shots from past evenings and calm news every few days.
Where the chess community in Novokuznetsk is heading
Our main evening over the board is already up and running. The next step: new venues around the city and extra layers on top of the familiar format.
Themed evenings
Something else is added to the boards: vinyl and a live set, a cocktail list for the evening, a short film or a book discussion. The chess does not go anywhere; a second layer simply appears around it.
Routes around Novokuznetsk
A series of meetups in different spaces around the city - Metallurgov Ave., Kirova Ave., the Tom embankment and the centre of the Kuznetsky district. A new place each time and a circle of acquaintances that gradually widens.
Joining up with the Kuzbass communities
Joint formats with the IT community at Aktonika, the SibSIU digital engineering centre and Raspadskaya, and with the city's educational clubs - for those for whom chess alone is not enough.
Do you run a bar, a coffee house or a loft and want an evening like this at your place? Have a look at the page about the chess programme for venues. When it is about a team at work, the right format is a tournament inside a company.
Where people play and learn chess in Novokuznetsk
Our evenings stand alongside the city's larger chess life, not in place of it. Novokuznetsk has a municipal sports school with two venues, private clubs in three districts, a university venue at SibSIU and two federations at once, the city one and the regional one. If after an evening in an anticafe you find yourself wanting a rating, a rank or lessons for your child, here are the addresses and a short local chronicle.
- The B. A. Kustov Sports SchoolOrdzhonikidze St. 23 and Tsiolkovskogo St. 34 · the city's main municipal sports school, opened in 2001; the director is international master Maxim Ivakhin
- The Tolstoguzov chess club at SibSIUKirova St. 42, third floor · a university venue for students and adults, founded by international master Tamara Sorokina
- The Chempion chess clubBardina Ave. 26, Kuybyshevsky district · a private club with lessons for children and adults
- The Two Kings chess clubTolyatti St. 27a and Arkhitektorov Ave. 16a · two venues in the Novoilinsky district
- The IGRA innovation centre (Intellect Academy)Kirova St. 36 · opened in 2019, the first centre of its kind in Siberia; it takes adults too
- The Vektor house of creativity and House of Children's Creativity No. 2Yemelyanovskaya St. 1 and Sibiryakov-Gvardeytsev St. 16 · municipal houses of creativity with free children's sections
- The Novokuznetsk Chess Federation was registered on 14 January 2004 and sits at Tsiolkovskogo St. 78; both it and the Kuzbass regional federation are headed by international master Maxim Ivakhin.
- Sergei Iskusnykh, a native of the city born in 1974, received the grandmaster title around 2000 and remains the only GM in Novokuznetsk's history.
- In 1972 Novokuznetsk-born Yuri Anikaev won the world student championship, and Tamara Sorokina, an international master and coach at SibSIU, created the university club.
- The first chess club appeared in the city in 1938, and in the 1940s regular matches between the teams of SibSIU and the Kuznetsk metallurgical works drew the first city audience.
- In 2008 Novokuznetsk hosted the world student chess championship; today the calendar of city and rated tournaments is published on the federation's site nvkz-chess.ru.
Frequently asked questions about the evenings in Novokuznetsk
Where can I play chess in Novokuznetsk in the evening if I do not belong to a club?›
The Champion club on Bardina 26 and Two Kings on Tolyatti 27a are sections and weekend tournaments. Vibe Chess puts on an informal evening in the anticafes and coffee houses of the centre: short games, conversation and new acquaintances, with no rating calculation.
Where should I go in the evening in central Novokuznetsk, on Metallurgov Avenue?›
A chess evening is a calm alternative to the bars. Most of the venues are near Metallurgov Avenue with its Stalinist empire architecture, so after the games it is an easy walk to the Metallurgists' Garden or the Tom embankment.
Are the evenings suitable for students of SibSIU and the Kemerovo State University institute?›
Yes. The format is designed for an adult audience of 22-40, and final-year students of SibSIU, the Kemerovo State University institute and the KuzSTU branch are frequent guests: it is a chance to meet people beyond your own faculty.
Do you need to be good at chess in Novokuznetsk?›
Knowing how the pieces move is enough. The Swiss system will find you an opponent at your level by itself, so a run of thrashings is not on the cards. If the rules have faded since your schooldays, the host runs through them briefly before the first round.
Where can you meet people over chess in Novokuznetsk?›
At the Vibe Chess evenings - most guests come here without company. The tournament bracket introduces you to a range of people by itself: over an evening you will play 4-6 opponents, which is a natural excuse to talk with no intermediary.
What is chess networking in Novokuznetsk?›
It is a format where the game and meeting people go together. The playing part takes about half the evening; the other half is talking in the breaks and after the tournament. Many people come to meet others, and the chess becomes the common language.
How is this different from the Kustov sports school and the Champion club?›
The B. A. Kustov sports school on Ordzhonikidze St. 23 and Tsiolkovskogo St. 34, the Champion chess club on Bardina Ave. 26 and the SibSIU chess club are sporting organisations: tournaments with rating calculation, ranks and regulations. Vibe Chess is an evening for adult amateurs: short games, an emphasis on conversation, a loft or an anticafe instead of a sports school. They are different genres and they coexist quite happily.
Which players are connected with Novokuznetsk?›
The main name is Sergei Vladimirovich Iskusnykh, born in Novokuznetsk on 5 September 1974. An international grandmaster since 2000, he is the first and so far the only GM in the city's history. The breakthrough for Novokuznetsk chess was begun by Yuri Dmitrievich Anikaev - an international master who, in the USSR team, won the world student team championship in Graz in 1972. And Tamara Nikolaevna Sorokina is an international master, Russian blitz champion, bronze medallist at the 2009 world seniors championship and the founder of the SibSIU chess club. The city sports school is named after Boris Kustov, former director of the ZSMK works and chairman of the Novokuznetsk Chess Federation.
How much does it cost to take part?›
The price of an evening is made up of the venue and the chosen format, so there is no fixed price list. Look for the sum for a particular date in the channel announcement or ask the bot when you sign up.
How often do the meetups run in Novokuznetsk?›
The evenings run in a steady stream, with no long pauses between them. We publish the next date and the venue address in the Telegram channel, and the bot will tell you them too.
How is this different from a pub quiz?›
At a quiz you spend the whole evening at one table with your own team, and your circle of acquaintances barely widens. Here every round seats you opposite a new person, and ten minutes of a game is enough to work out what to talk to them about next.
Who comes to the evenings and what age are the guests?›
The core of the room is people aged 25 to 40: IT people, engineers, entrepreneurs, designers, lawyers, marketers and final-year students. We set no upper or lower age limit; the format itself is simply built for an adult crowd.
What is the dress code?›
Come in what you wear around the city: smart casual is understood here as broadly as possible. A tie and an evening dress would be out of place, but comfort matters, because you will spend about three hours at the board.
And what if I want to take chess seriously rather than play in the evenings?›
Then you want the neighbouring section: chess tuition in Novokuznetsk. It gathers the city's schools, clubs, coaches and sections, which take both children and adults from scratch.
Can we put on a chess evening in our office or venue?›
You can. Companies and teams will want the format on the page about tournaments inside a company. For bars, coffee houses and restaurants we build an evening around their room: see a chess programme for venues.
Where in Novokuznetsk can an adult play chess in person at all?›
There are plenty of places in the city. The sporting route: the B. A. Kustov sports school on Ordzhonikidze 23 and Tsiolkovskogo 34, the Champion club on Bardina Ave. 26, Two Kings on Tolyatti 27a and Arkhitektorov Ave. 16a, and the Tolstoguzov club at SibSIU on Kirova 42 (third floor). Adult groups are run by Intellect Academy on Kirova 36 and Kinetic on Rokossovskogo 3B. The schedule of city competitions is kept by the Novokuznetsk Chess Federation at Tsiolkovskogo 78 (nvkz-chess.ru). If you want to play in the evening with no rating calculation, come to the Vibe Chess evenings in the anticafes and coffee houses of the centre.
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.
Anyone can be the organizer
There are no club or arbiter roles in the app: the create button is available to everyone. You can announce a tournament in Novokuznetsk today and run it this weekend.
- 1Create the event, open sign-up, share the link
- 2Start the tournament - the app announces the pairing
- 3Record results as the evening goes
- 4Show the final standings and export the TRF report
- Swiss. when there are more than ten players and nobody should be knocked out
- Round robin. when the field is small and fairness matters most
- Free meetup. when you simply want to get together and play
Come to play and meet people
Chess networking in Novokuznetsk - about real meetups, regular evenings and a community that is easy to join. Signing up for the next meetup takes a minute: open the bot and say hello.
The button opens the Telegram bot. Tell it which day suits you and what you want to start with: a Swiss, blitz or a calm casual evening.