Where to play chess in Oslo and Akershus 62
Clubs 56
Outdoor chess 2
Chess bars and cafés 1
Culture houses 1
Libraries 1
Student and social groups 1
What this list covers
Nearly every listed club is also a place to play, and its card says whether a visitor may come without joining. Beyond the clubs, The Good Knight in Badstugata is a chess bar with an AfterWork blitz on Mondays, rapid on every second Tuesday, pub tournaments on Fridays and the Popcornligaen team league; SjakkMet, the OsloMet student association, holds chess evenings at Pilestredet 52; Voldsløkka Kulturstasjon hosts children's games evenings and a Grand Prix series.
In summer 2025 there was free outdoor chess for children in Olafiagangen. Club evenings in Bærum, Asker, Lillestrøm and the rest of Akershus complete the list.
What a visitor finds differs by place. At The Good Knight the Tuesday rapid is five rounds of ten minutes plus five seconds, with entry that includes a drink, and the Friday pub tournament has seven rounds of five minutes plus three; Popcornligaen is a free league for teams of at least three friends, played in even-numbered weeks. At the clubs a guest usually joins whatever the evening holds: a round of the club championship, a lightning or rapid tournament, or free play. Groruddalen asks for no sign-up at Romsås, Rokaden opens its Thursday evenings in Sporveisgata to all, and Akademisk at Blindern lets visitors play without joining. Outside Oslo, Asker Schakklubb's Monday evenings at Venskaben, Bærum Schakselskap's Thursdays at Rud and Nittedal's Thursday open day are good places to start. Cards that rest only on a register entry say so.