CheckMates Community Pledge
CheckMate Experiences was built on a simple belief: games like chess build confidence, focus and friendships — and a child’s access to that shouldn’t depend on what their family can afford. The Community Pledge is how we turn that belief into something concrete.
The pledge
10% of every corporate booking — including CheckMate corporate days — goes back into the community. Not a one-off campaign, not a marketing line — a standing commitment, built into how we operate. Every team away-day, conference or training day at The Rafayel Space funds activity for local people in Battersea.
Where it goes
The 10% does three things:
The Rafayel Space is a genuinely good room — third-floor, light-filled, river views — and good rooms usually price out the community groups who’d benefit most. Corporate bookings subsidise the rate local groups pay, so the cost of the space isn’t the thing standing between a good idea and the people it’s for.
Chess sits at the heart of what we do, so the pledge keeps it free where it reaches the most children: free chess in Battersea schools, our free Saturday chess club at Battersea Library, and bursary places at our chess events — so cost is never the reason a child can’t play.
We run a range of children’s classes at The Rafayel Space — from drama to other creative and wellbeing activities — and the pledge funds places for families who’d find the full cost a stretch. The aim is plain: a child who wants to take part should get to. Families just need to get in touch.
Who it’s for
Local community groups looking for an affordable space in Battersea, and families who’d like their child to take part in a class but need a hand with the cost. If that’s you, get in touch — we’ve kept the process simple and we treat every enquiry in confidence.
Why we do it
We learned this game young, and it shaped us — the focus, the resilience, the friendships that came from sitting across a board from someone. Plenty of children never get that chance, not for lack of talent or interest, but for lack of access. Linking our corporate work directly to community access is how we make sure the doors we came through stay open behind us.
Book with purpose
If you’re choosing a venue for your team or your event, choosing The Rafayel Space means 10% of what you spend goes straight back into the community around it.