This group was born as a real life central London drop in, free to play chess cafe (originally called Casual Chess) and has now been running for more than 6 years. We are a non-profit which aims to make chess more inclusive for everyone, especially women.

The cafe was born from fun times playing street chess in the parks of Havana and New York. Chess clubs are fantastic for joining teams and playing tournaments. On the other hand, when you want have a chat over a friendly game, you might find yourself getting shushed…and may be the only person who looks like you in the room.

So we decided to create a welcoming space where chess lovers and those who would like to take it up, could pop in whenever they felt like playing, watching or talking about chess. Comfy chairs, other female players, people of every age, race, religion, sexual orientation, physical type, social class and playing strength. Now online!

Due to Covid19, we moved online in March 2020. We keep things as live and as lively as possible, by having Zoom chat while we play, as well as a text chat box. We are a no-harassment zone – you’ll find a friendly, fun, sociable and welcoming crowd. 🙂

We are entirely run by hardworking volunteers.