Human Chess Match

Primary Benefit:
Team building and fun!

Secondary Benefits:

Team awareness
Imagination
Cooperation
Morale booster
Friendly competition

If you’re thinking that chess is quiet, slow-moving, stuffy and complicated, you’re in for a major surprise. Get ready to step through the looking glass into a topsy-turvy world where everything seems familiar, yet different. Think crazy. Think invigorating. Think funny. Here, your guests or coworkers step through the looking glass to become living, laughing chess pieces on a larger-than-life game board that teambonding brings directly to you.

This game is performed and facilitated by teambonding CharActors in full medieval or renaissance costume, lending an air of pomp and spectacle. We’re happy to provide other themes if requested – two natural choices being “Harry Potter” or “Alice in Wonderland.” Guests who serve as chess pieces are given either tabards or placards emblazoned with the symbols and names of the pieces they represent.

Your teambonding Gamesmaster serves as MC, leading you through the whole adventure. He begins by introducing the cast, explaining their roles along with the rules of play. He also directs all game piece movement from his position at the center of the board. The actual chess players are also costumed CharActors, each well versed in the ways of group dynamics and good old-fashioned fun.

As in conventional chess, you’ll find 16 game pieces on each side. But we also add Team Advocates to liven things up. Their job? To keep their teams amused and interested, and to help fuel a healthy rivalry between the opposing sides.

The game itself consists of 16 moves, eight per side. But pieces are won or lost according to a set of wacky challenges in which the two opposing chess pieces participate in a small task or game The winning challenger piece takes its place on the board once chosen by audience applause. The losing piece is dismissed back to the audience, as the game continues. The team with the most game pieces left emerges victorious.

The challenges themselves vary widely and wildly from one event to the next. This is where teambonding’s creativity and willingness to customize really come into play. Our expert facilitators can work with you to come up with a range including goofy dances, animal noise contests, simple but silly tests of physical skill and more. A big ending is always nice, so we generally wrap an event up with some grand Final Challenge, pitting one entire team against the other.

See, we told you this chess game was different. No wonder it always goes over so exceptionally well.

Training Module or De-Brief:
We can easily include optional training or debriefing which focuses on teamwork, imagination or whatever subject you suggest.

Minimum/Maximum Group Size:
16 human chess pieces plus one Advocate per team. The audience plays a big role too, and its size is quite flexible.

Program Length:
Typical running time is around 60 minutes, but we can extend or shorten the event per your request. Allow an additional half hour for the optional debrief.

Space Requirements:
Any indoor or outdoor area at least 20’ x 30’ will work. Obviously, the larger your group, the more space we’ll need to accommodate everyone comfortably and make the event a total success.