Simpson's in the Strand: The home of chess

by André Schulz
7/3/2026 – At the end of last year, the famous chess café Simpson's-in-the-Strand reopened, and its new operator, Jeremy King, together with his friend Jason King, intends to preserve its chess tradition. To this end, a "chess menu" was recently put together. Luke McShane gave a blindfold chess exhibition - the first at Simpson's for 100 years.
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The first blindfold simultaneous exhibition at Simpson's in 100 years!

Simpson's in the Strand, also known as "The Grand Divan", is one of London's most traditional restaurants and chess cafés. Opened in 1828, the restaurant was the meeting place for the best British chess players and soon also attracted the best players from around the world, who tested their strength and explored the game together in countless casual games. It was also here, in 1851, that the most famous chess game of all was played, the "Immortal Game" between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky. Among the special feats of the great masters was blindfold play, in which they played against one or more weaker opponents without looking at the board, virtually blind - and usually won.

The blindfold player here is Paul Morphy

By the end of the 19th century, Simpson's had already lost importance as a meeting place for chess players after they had been pushed into a room on the upper floor.

Since 1904, the establishment has been located at 100 Strand, on the edge of Covent Garden and in the heart of London's theatre district. After being remodelled in the 1920s, it developed into a busy luxury restaurant. For a time after the Second World War, it was the only restaurant in England to have been awarded a Michelin star.

Chess enthusiasts in England have repeatedly tried to revive Simpson's great chess tradition. In 1980, the final of the club championship was held here. In 2003, there was a tournament in honour of Howard Staunton.

In recent decades, Simpson's passed through the hands of several owners, was renovated in 2017, but had to close in 2020 because of economic difficulties. At the end of last year, however, the establishment was reopened under the management of the Savoy Hotel group and the well-known restaurateur Jeremy King.

Jeremy King is aware of Simpson's importance for chess and wants to continue cultivating this tradition. To that end, he has enlisted the help of his friend Jason Kouchak. The musician and chess enthusiast is now, fittingly, the director of chess and music at Simpson's-in-the-Strand.

Jeremy King and Jason Kouchak recently created a "chess menu", with the following courses:

  • Starter – a simultaneous exhibition with GM Stuart Conquest
  • Main course – GM Luke McShane plays blindfold chess
  • Dessert – jazz chess (Freestyle Chess with jazz music)

Luke McShane's appearance was the first time in 100 years that a chess player once again gave a blindfold exhibition at Simpson's.

The opponents of the two grandmasters were all members of staff from the new Simpson’s project, together with their children. Jeremy King and Jason Kouchak played as the consulting team "JK" and put up the longest resistance against Luke McShane.

With this event, King and Kouchak want to recall the great masters of the 19th century who all played chess here: Wilhelm Steinitz, Paul Morphy, Adolf Anderssen, Emanuel Lasker and Johannes Zukertort.

With many thanks to Jason Kouchak for information and photos.

Simpson's in the Strand: The Home of Chess...

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.
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The Times explores chess revival at Simpson's in the Strand

5/14/2026 – Simpson's in the Strand has reopened with a nod to its origins as a chess venue, a detail explored by Harry Wallop in The Times. Wallop's article uses the London restaurant's history to examine a wider revival of over-the-board chess, from social clubs and café events to rising sales of physical chess sets, and considers why the game's face-to-face appeal has endured in a screen-heavy age. | Photo: Matt Brown <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simpson%27s-in-the-Strand_2023-12-04.jpg">via Wikimedia Commons</a>
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Chess Tradition Returns to Simpson’s

12/25/2025 – One of the world’s most famous chess cafés is Simpson’s-in-the-Strand in London, which is also among the city’s best-known restaurants. It was here that the “Immortal Game” was played. After several years of closure, the historic venue has now reopened — and chess will once again be played there on a regular basis.
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