Struggling to keep your chess community actively engaged? Community Challenges are a proven way to spark participation and build friendly competition. Use these ready-made templates to inspire your members, encourage learning, and make your community more lively than ever.
Get personalized templates for your community in seconds
Community Challenges tap into the natural human desire for achievement, recognition, and camaraderie. By offering fun or educational tasks, you create opportunities for members to interact, learn, and showcase their skills in a low-pressure environment. This not only increases engagement but also deepens members' connection to the group.
Chess, in particular, lends itself well to challenges because of its blend of competition, creativity, and strategy. Whether members are beginners or seasoned players, well-crafted challenges can help everyone improve their skills while feeling like part of something bigger. By making tasks achievable and recognizing participation, you reinforce positive habits and keep your community buzzing with activity.
Try the 'Queen's Gambit' as white this week and share your best game below.
💡 Example: "I played the Queen's Gambit and won a great game! Here is my PGN."
Can you checkmate using only two pieces? Post your position and method.
💡 Example: "Here is my bishop and knight mate position. Can you solve it?"
Solve this week's puzzle and share your answer: White to move and win.
💡 Example: "I think the answer is Qh7+ followed by mate!"
Post your fastest win from the past week. How many moves did it take?
💡 Example: "I won in 12 moves! Here is my game link."
Try not to lose your queen for three games in a row. Did you succeed?
💡 Example: "I managed to keep my queen safe in all three games!"
Play a game using only pawns and knights until move 10. Share your experience.
💡 Example: "This was harder than I thought! My position was really cramped."
Who can solve this endgame: King and pawn vs king? Show your moves.
💡 Example: "I advanced the pawn and used opposition to win!"
Share your favorite opening and challenge someone to play against it.
💡 Example: "I love the Sicilian Defense. Who wants to play against it?"
Can you draw against a higher-rated player? Post your game if you do.
💡 Example: "I drew with someone 200 points higher than me last night!"
Play a game blindfolded (no board) and share your hardest moment.
💡 Example: "Remembering piece positions was so tough after move 15!"
Try a game using only the bishop pair for attacks. How did you do?
💡 Example: "I won with a bishop battery on the long diagonal!"
Who can create the best chess meme this week? Post your entry below.
💡 Example: "Check out my meme about blundering the queen!"
Set up your board in your favorite spot and snap a photo to share.
💡 Example: "Here is my chess board by the window with my morning coffee."
Play one rapid game every day for a week. Who is in?
💡 Example: "I am committing to a week of daily rapid games!"
Guess the next move: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6. What would you play as white?
💡 Example: "I would play 3.d4 here to open up the center."
Share your best comeback story from a lost position.
💡 Example: "I was down a rook but managed to turn it around with a mate in two."
Play a game as black and try not to castle. Was it harder than you thought?
💡 Example: "Not castling as black left my king very vulnerable!"
Try the London System as white and post your results.
💡 Example: "London System worked well for me, won two games!"
Who can spot the blunder in this position? Post your answer.
💡 Example: "The blunder is Bxf6, losing a piece to Qxf6."
Share your best chess pun or joke to brighten the day.
💡 Example: "Why did the chess player bring snacks? For pawn sandwiches!"
Try a bullet game and see how fast you can win. Share your time.
💡 Example: "I won my bullet game in just 1 minute 22 seconds!"
Play a game with a friend from the community. Post your result.
💡 Example: "Played with @Anna and it was a close match!"
Who can reach a knight fork first in their next game? Share your screenshot.
💡 Example: "Here is my knight fork from last night!"
Try playing against a chess engine and share your best move.
💡 Example: "I surprised the engine with a sacrifice on move 15!"
Invent a new opening and describe the first three moves. Who will try it?
💡 Example: "My opening: 1.a4 d5 2.h4 e5 3.Ra3. Who is in?"
Post a photo of your chess set. Bonus points for unique designs.
💡 Example: "Here is my glass chess set from Prague."
Try to play without using your queen for 20 moves. Could you win?
💡 Example: "Kept my queen safe and still managed to win!"
Can you stalemate your opponent on purpose? Share the position if you do.
💡 Example: "Pulled off a forced stalemate in an endgame. Here is the screenshot."
Play a game and count how many checks you deliver. Who got the most?
💡 Example: "I delivered 8 checks in my last game!"
Share the funniest nickname someone has given you in a chess game.
💡 Example: "Someone called me the Endgame Magician!"
Challenge: Only move pawns for your first five moves. Did it help or hurt?
💡 Example: "I tried it and got a cramped position, but it was fun!"
Who can find the best defense in this tricky position? Post your solution.
💡 Example: "I played f6 and managed to survive the attack."
Try playing a 960 (Fischer Random) game and share your thoughts.
💡 Example: "Chess960 was wild! My king started on b1."
Post a screenshot of your current rating and set a goal for next month.
💡 Example: "Currently 1450 rapid, aiming for 1550 by next month."
Who can spot mate in two in this diagram? Share your answer.
💡 Example: "Qe7+ followed by Qg7 mate!"
Try to win a game with an underpromotion. Share how you did it.
💡 Example: "I promoted to a knight and delivered a tricky checkmate!"
Share your favorite chess quote and why it inspires you.
💡 Example: "'When you see a good move, look for a better one.'"
Challenge: Play a game with only 10 minutes total time. How did you handle the pressure?
💡 Example: "I barely made it on time, flagged my opponent in the end!"
Who can get three consecutive wins this week? Post your streak.
💡 Example: "Just finished my third win in a row!"
Try annotating your next game and share one key lesson you learned.
💡 Example: "I missed a fork on move 14, definitely something to watch."
To implement these templates, pick one that suits your community's energy and skill level. Post it as a new thread or announcement, clearly outlining the goal, rules, and any rewards or recognition. Encourage members to share their progress in comments, images, or screenshots. Follow up on the challenge by highlighting standout contributions or announcing winners. Rotate challenge types to keep things fresh and involve members in suggesting future ideas.
For all platforms, use pinned posts or announcements for higher visibility. Utilize platform features like polls, threads, or hashtags to organize participation. Remind members about ongoing challenges via notifications or scheduled follow-ups. Adapt the format to fit the content style of each platform, such as using images on Instagram or threads on Discord.
A Chess Community Challenge is a fun or educational task designed to inspire members to participate, learn, and interact with others in the community.
Aim for weekly or biweekly challenges to keep the community engaged without overwhelming members.
Not necessarily. Recognition, shoutouts, or simple virtual badges can be just as motivating as physical prizes.
Start with easy, low-pressure challenges and celebrate all contributions, not just the best ones.
Yes, these templates are designed for all platforms. Adapt the format to fit your platform's style and features.
Ask members to post their results in the comments or use a dedicated hashtag or thread for easy tracking.
Try simpler challenges, tag members directly, or offer small incentives to boost initial involvement.