Chess in the Capital: Visiting Svarta Hästen & Stockholm Chess Federation

After having played the GM & IM tournament series for young talents in Stockholm, there was a brief opportunity after the tournament ended in early May to visit the Stockholm Chess Federation in central Stockholm at the kind invitation of CM Birger Wenzel.

The Stockholm Chess Federation offers various chess events and programs

Group trainings may also take place at the Stockholm Chess Federation

Birger has roots in Hamburg, but thanks to his traditional Nordic first name, it was probably predestined that he would one day end up in Sweden. He has been living in the Swedish capital for several years now (when he's not participating in the Hamburg Individual Championship, for example) and works part-time for the Stockholm Chess Federation.

Birger is also involved in organizing various tournaments, such as the Rilton Cup, which is now an established event in the chess calendar and traditionally takes place between Christmas and shortly after New Year's Day. Picture from left to right: Birger Wenzel, Rilton Cup winner 2024 GM Dr. Bassem Amin , and his daughter Lara. (Picture: Lars OA)

According to its own website, the Swedish Chess Federation has an impressive 45,000 club members (with a population of just 10 million), divided into approximately 1,000 clubs. Interestingly, an impressive 90% of the club's members are under 25 years old. The Schackfyran children's chess tournament in Sweden, in which over 6,400 (!) children participate and the best classes qualify for the “Riksfinal” , is likely to contribute significantly to this. The Swedish Federation also offers a wide range of chess programs and, thanks to intensive scholastic chess and youth work, is well positioned for the future!

Prominent chess ambassadors: The Cramling chess family

When writing about chess in Sweden, it goes without saying that there is no way around the Cramling chess family: consisting of GM Pia Cramling and her brother, IM Dan Cramling, her husband, GM Juan Manuel Bellón López, and their daughter, WFM Anna Cramling, who is one of the world's best-known chess personalities as a streamer and content creator and can often be seen on Swedish television alongside her mother.

From left to right: WFM Anna Cramling, GM Juan Manuel Bellón López, GM Pia Cramling (picture from the Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest by Maria Emelianova)

Svarta Hästen Schack & Vin: Chess bar right on Stureplan in the city center

In addition to the intensive work of the chess federation, which also tries to promote the sport to clubs by offering special programs for newcomers, there has been a new opportunity since 2023 to get to know chess better in a relaxed atmosphere, for example, over a glass of wine.

The Svarta Hästen founder Joel Ighe together with co-founder and sommelier Calle Stuborn (Calle pictured on the left, playing against Jonas Sandbom, Chief of Staff of the Stockholm Chess Federation), a wine expert and former junior champion of the Täby Chess Club. The first-class wine list reflects selections from Calle’s life. After becoming a sommelier, an acquaintance gave him the idea of combining his knowledge of wine and chess.

In 2023, the idea was put into practice, and now, upon entering the chess bar, the large red-and-yellow checkered chessboards immediately catch the eye. These were individually crafted by furniture maker and artist Kim Björnson from Gothenburg.

In addition, the bar at Stureplan, one of Stockholm's hotspots, is built entirely of elm wood and is known for chess courses and chess events as well as for its fine wines, which even wine connoisseurs like to travel there especially to enjoy. The weekend opening hours are also interesting: from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. in the early hours of the morning.

Since there is also a nightclub above the chess bar, it can happen that the two worlds collide, with partygoers finding their way into the chess bar and lingering there—definitely a novel concept for getting to know chess in a relaxed atmosphere!

If you are a chess player and would like to get to know Stockholm, we highly recommend visiting both the Stockholm Chess Federation and the Svarta Hästen Schack & Vin.

Note that this article will be published originally in German in the August 2025 issue of the German chess magazine Rochade Europa).