♟️ About the Organizer

ChessSports Association, also known as CSA, is an international chess and sports organization based in Vienna, Austria. The association was founded in 2021. Its work focuses on grassroots chess, education, inclusion, and innovative events that connect chess with physical sports. Moreover, CSA builds partnerships across Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, South Tyrol, and other European regions.

IM Harald Schneider-Zinner serves as president and principal international contact. He previously directed Austria’s chess coach education program and coached the Austrian women’s national squad. In addition, he works as a chess trainer, educator, author, and event organizer. The association’s board also includes experienced officials, arbiters, coaches, club leaders, and specialists in school chess.

CSA promotes cooperation rather than focusing only on elite results. Therefore, its activities welcome club players, hobby players, children, seniors, women, and people with disabilities. The organization also encourages participants to discover new sports without pressure. Its network combines chess knowledge with experience in tennis, badminton, table tennis, education, mental training, and community sport.

🏆 Tournaments and ChessSports Events

ChessSports Association organizes traditional chess tournaments and unusual multi-sport competitions. Its best-known event is the International Chess-Tennis Masters in Vienna. Participants compete in both rapid chess and tennis. The organizers then combine the results from both disciplines. As a result, the event tests tactical thinking, physical fitness, concentration, and adaptability.

The association has also developed chess-table tennis, chess-badminton, chess-orienteering, diving chess, chess-boccia, and other combined formats. In addition, it has organized chess at distinctive venues. These locations have included the Vienna Funeral Museum, Schallaburg Castle, Melk Abbey, thermal spas, wineries, and outdoor public spaces. Such events help CSA present chess to audiences beyond the traditional club environment.

Its wider program includes rapid and blitz tournaments, bughouse events, freestyle chess, school competitions, and international weekend tournaments. In 2026, the calendar includes Next Move Together, the International Berlin Bughouse Open, Chess at Melk Abbey, the Chess-Tennis Masters, and the Kaltern Trophy. Furthermore, CSA cooperates with local clubs and regional organizers when promoting these events.

The organizing teams manage regulations, registration, schedules, pairings, arbitration, prizes, and participant communication. Meanwhile, different board members support events in their own countries and regions. This decentralized structure allows CSA to develop projects across several locations while maintaining a shared international identity.

🌱 Education, Inclusion and Community Development

The ChessSports Academy forms an important part of the association’s educational work. It offers a winter program of online lectures about chess training, school chess, club development, psychology, and related subjects. Leading players, trainers, educators, and specialists contribute to the sessions. Moreover, CSA members can attend the academy program without an additional participation fee.

CSA also supports children’s chess, school chess, women’s chess, senior programs, and mental training. Its training network includes experienced coaches from several European countries. Therefore, participants can access both practical chess instruction and broader educational content. The organization also arranges chess, culture, and fitness programs for senior players.

Inclusion remains another central priority. CSA supports the Vienna Inclusion Chess Open and works with organizations that represent blind and visually impaired people. In addition, board member Laura Schalkhäuser helped establish the Open Window project with journalist Tatiana Flores. The initiative raises awareness of visible and invisible disabilities in chess.

The association has also contributed to the promotion of women in chess. In 2022, Lilli Hahn represented ChessSports Association in a FIDE podcast series about prominent women in the chess world. Furthermore, she presented the project during the FIDE Women’s Chess Conference in Prague. These initiatives helped increase the visibility of female players, officials, and organizers.

Through tournaments, education, inclusive projects, and cross-sport activities, CSA creates new ways for people to experience chess. Consequently, the organization connects competitive play with health, social participation, and lifelong learning.