Chess Without Borders
- What
- SPECIAL EVENT
- When
- Tickets
Join a community-focused chess experience for players and nonplayers alike. With free-play, competitions, conversation and activities, there's something for everyone.
Chess offers up an entire world in just 64 squares, and endless opportunities for learning and making connections, whether that be in the form of old and new friendships, challenges of skill, or rethinking the board itself.
This celebration of chess combines the love of the game with the history and diversity of the chess community.
Chess Without Borders takes place in Melbourne Museum’s Learning Lab Studio.
Program
Free Play
10am to 2pm | Learning Lab Studio
A free-play space with beautiful, handcrafted chess dhurries (heavy woven rugs), which transform traditional chess boards into more accessible and inviting art pieces.
Enjoy a game with your friends and family or partake in a game and a conversation with a new friend.
Augmented Reality Chess Exhibition
All Day | Learning Lab Studio
Explore an immersive augmented reality chess exhibition showcasing the historical significance, origins, and impact of the game from ancient times to the modern age.
Endre’s Story
1:30pm | Film Screening
Step into Endre's world as he welcomes you into his studio, one of Australia’s most extensive private chess collections, which chronicles the history and artistry of the game. Discover the stories behind these exquisite pieces as Endre shares his insights and experiences, offering a glimpse into the rich tapestry of the chess world.
The documentary culminates in a thrilling reenactment of the historic Opera Chess Game of 1858, where Paul Morphy played Duke Karl and Count Isouard in a legendary blindfolded match.
Beyond the Board: The Impact of Chess
2pm to 3pm | Theatre | In Conversation
Hear from chess enthusiasts, experts, and members of Melbourne’s oldest and most beloved chess clubs and be inspired by their passion for this 1500-year-old game.
Exhibition Tournament
3:15pm to 4pm | Learning Lab Studio
Supported by Maleik and our panel members, come along to test your skills (and pick up some tips!) with some of Melbourne’s best chess players in an afternoon of friendly chess competitions.
Bios
Maleik Njoroge
Program Curator
A Kenyan-born artist, and avid chess player, Maleik Njoroge is a lover of beautifully made things and the triumph of human imagination.
He is the founder of the All Tribes Are Beautiful Lab (ATAB.Lab), an experimental space where he shares his design journey by creating chess products, tells stories through the medium of chess, and curates experiences that share his love of the game in unique ways.
Marc-O-Matic
Augmented Reality Exhibition Designer
Marc-O-Matic is a Multidisciplinary Creator, Tech Artist, Animator, Storyteller, Director, and AR/VR Technologist based in Melbourne, Australia. With over 10 years’ experience working across multiple fields including e-learning, advertising and interactive/game development, Marco’s creative and technical knowledge has expanded into immersive AR and VR technologies, has been pioneering his own fusions between traditional storytelling mediums with augmented and virtual reality.
Supported by
Philanthropic Partner
Culture Makers has been made possible thanks to the generous support of The Scanlon Foundation.
