Four cities in two continents played over-the-board chess against one another on International Chess Day (July 20). The event, Portals x Chess.com, was a celebration of chess that connected Dublin, Ireland; Lublin, Poland; Philadelphia, U.S.A.; and Vilnius, Lithuania.
Playing chess through portals on #InternationalChessDay 😍 #PortalsChess pic.twitter.com/lLTDNJPzZd
— Chess.com (@chesscom) July 20, 2025
Titled players and creators from the four cities played one another without leaving their countries. Instead, they battled on ChessUp boards while seeing each other in real-time through Portal sculptures, which you can see in the photos below. It was the first time that Portal sculptures have been used for gaming.
These sculptures act as “digital windows,” allowing participants to interact in real time.
The electronic chessboards allowed players separated by thousands of miles to engage with one another instantly. This way, people broke down geographic barriers and celebrated the love of chess together.
The tournament was a team double round-robin between four teams, with a time control of 5+5. The following teams and players participated.
Portals x Chesscom Participants
| Philadelphia | Dublin | Lublin | Vilnius |
| IM Igor Khmelnitsky | Antonina Gora | IM Dawid Czerw | Agne Semonaviciute |
| Angelo Dellomargio | Jacob Barron | IM/WGM Iweta Rajlich | Migle Semonaviciute |
| Joshua Anderson, Tri-Bridges Chess Club | (Trinity College Club) | IM Oliwia Kiolbasa | Arvydas’s Club |
| Jeffrey Kunnel | |||
| Martin Collette, Phillasap.org |
Portals are about celebrating human connectivity and removing physical barriers so that different people from across the globe can interact and find common ground. Players of all ages and chess levels attended.
Local chess fans were invited to attend in person, watch the games, and play. The non-profit organization PhillyASAP invited chess fans in Philadelphia. Their mission statement is “To develop high quality after school activities and resources to empower youth and strengthen communities in Philadelphia.”
Chess.com’s Manager of Community Moderation Richard Casserly attended the event in Dublin. He called the event “nothing short of electric” and said, “It was a powerful reminder that chess speaks a universal language, one that transcends age, culture, and background. Children challenged adults, newcomers partnered with seasoned veterans, and people who might never have crossed paths found common ground over the 64 squares.”
It was a powerful reminder that chess speaks a universal language, one that transcends age, culture, and background.
—Richard Casserly, Manager of Community Moderation
He spoke to several people on site. Many shared that the turnout was much greater than they expected; there were about 50 to 60 attendees, and every board was used for the entire time. One person told him, “It’s just wonderful to see people from all different walks of life here, in a respectful, peaceful manner, all speaking the one language of chess and playing together. The atmosphere is so warming.”
Antonina Gora (ToshQueen), a player on the Dublin team, also made a promotional video that you can check out here.
Chess.com’s IM Dawid Czerw, who is the Polish content manager, attended the event in Lublin. He rated the experience a 10/10 and said there were hundreds of spectators. During round three, when a storm hit, “fans helped us to keep the tent on the ground as a strong wind almost took it away.”
He added, “I strongly believe that tournament, OTB [over-the-board] games are the peak of chess fun. But playing on a ChessUp board was something in the middle between OTB games and online games. It was especially funny as we were seeing our opponents live in the Portal in front of us!”
… playing on a ChessUp board was something in the middle between OTB games and online games.
—Dawid Czerw, Chess.com Polish Content Manager
The event showcased popular streamers, titled players, and local chess clubs and organizations.
We also had an online arena for everyone who wanted to take part in the action but could not go in-person to the participating cities. You can see the full results here, and the prizes went to:
Prizes for Online Arena
| Place | Username | Prize |
| 1 | BeastofRapid | One-year Diamond membership |
| 2 | mike-bear | Six-month Diamond membership |
| 3 | Das_Chess5437 | Three-month Diamond membership |
ChessUp donated boards to volunteers on site.
How to Review
Portal x Chess.com was an in-person event to celebrate International Chess Day in 2025. Players in four different cities across two continents played over-the-board chess against each other using smart ChessUp 2 boards and Portal sculptures.
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