♟️ Check Mates 🙏🏼 Play chess, find your people. All levels

♟️ A monthly social chess hangout of 40 - 50 people who enjoy playing chess analogue and meeting new people in Rotterdam. Chess is the excuse, the people are the point.

Check Mates
It's not a tournament. It's a hangout where people who like chess sit down across from each other, play a game, and end up in a conversation. No competition pressure. Just boards, a drink, and time together.

Want to come? Reserve your spot here →
https://www.sharedobsessions.com/check-mates
Spots fill fast because the community gets early access.
A "Going" on Meetup unfortunately doesn't hold your place.

50 spots open after each event and usually fill within 48 hours.

Who comes
Everyone from complete beginners to 2000+ Elo players. We match by level so every game feels good. Whether you've just touched a piece or you're deep into openings and endgames, this afternoon is about connection over competition.

How it works
The host opens the afternoon and sets the tone. After that the space is yours, self-guided, open, no pressure. You find someone to play, you switch after each game, you meet new people. We close together at the end.

Chess invites you to think from someone else's perspective, creating a shared mental space that makes connecting feel surprisingly easy, even for beginners.

The community
Started by Julie and Matthijs in Rotterdam. Now 200+ people and growing, not because we scaled, but because people keep coming back and bringing someone with them.
Check Mates is part of Shared Obsessions, monthly creative hangouts that connect people through cultural niches: chess, music, vintage, art and more.

The location
All taking place is cool spots around the city, like micro-brewery Kaapse Maria and cultural centre Worm/Wunderbar, restaurant Rotonde, listening bar Sonoor.

Check out: Sharedobsessions.com