Ajedrez y Empresa
Ajedrez y Empresa is a Barcelona-based boutique corporate training firm, founded in 2007 by Grandmaster Miguel Illescas, that uses chess as a methodology for keynote presentations, workshops, exhibitions, courses, and tournaments serving large enterprises, business schools, universities, and government clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ajedrez y Empresa does
Ajedrez y Empresa (legal entity: Chess Education and Technology S.L.U., "CET") is a Barcelona-based corporate training and education firm founded in 2007 by Grandmaster Miguel Illescas. The company applies chess as a pedagogical metaphor and practical framework for corporate training, targeting decision-making under pressure, strategic thinking, stress management, and team cohesion. It is a founder-led boutique with approximately five employees, whose delivery model rests entirely on Illescas's personal credentials — an 8-time Spanish champion, Grandmaster, former head coach of World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, and former advisor to IBM's Deep Blue team.
The company offers a five-product portfolio delivered in-person or remotely via video conferencing: (1) corporate chess conferences, (2) team-building workshops, (3) master-level chess exhibitions (including simultaneous, blindfold, and rapid play), (4) personalized chess courses for executives and employee groups, and (5) corporate chess tournaments with multi-site internet support. All services are customized, require no prior chess knowledge from attendees, and are priced on a quote basis rather than through published rates. Underlying methodology is a domain-specialized chess-to-business curriculum refined over 17+ years of practice.
Revenue is generated exclusively through professional services engagements — keynotes, workshops, courses, exhibitions, and tournaments — sold directly to enterprise, business school, university, and government clients. The company targets large corporates (e.g., Amgen, BCG España, Panasonic España, Sanofi, MAPFRE), elite business schools (ESADE), public universities (Universidad de Huelva, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha), and foundations (Fundación Mapfre, Fundación Formación y Futuro). Distribution relies on word-of-mouth, founder-led conference speaking, content marketing via the company blog and founder-authored books, and institutional partnerships. There is no public listing, no disclosed external funding, and no parent company; the firm operates as an independent Spanish SLU.
Ajedrez y Empresa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ajedrez y Empresa
- Legal name
- Chess Education and Technology S.L.U. (CET)
- Website
- https://ajedrezyempresa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ajedrez y Empresa is a Barcelona-based boutique corporate training firm, founded in 2007 by Grandmaster Miguel Illescas, that uses chess as a methodology for keynote presentations, workshops, exhibitions, courses, and tournaments serving large enterprises, business schools, universities, and government clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ajedrez y Empresa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Corporate Training and Professional Development Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Poker Training, Coaching & Content (Courses, Solvers, Communities) (MPAEAEAF)
Keywords
Where Ajedrez y Empresa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barcelona
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ajedrez y Empresa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Corporate Training Services: Revenue generated from organizing and delivering customized conferences, workshops, team-building events, and chess exhibitions for corporate clients. Services are personalized and adapted to each client's specific needs, delivered either on-site or remotely.
- Chess Courses: Home-based chess classes for executives and employee groups, offered as flexible and personalized sessions. Revenue from course delivery and related educational materials.
- Corporate Chess Tournaments: Organizing company chess tournaments with full support including internet platforms for multi-site events, tutoring, materials provision, and professional organization.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ajedrez y Empresa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ajedrez y Empresa (legally Chess Education and Technology S.L.U., CET) delivers customized corporate training services that use chess as a formation and inspiration tool for businesses. The offering spans five customer-purchasable services: corporate chess conferences, hands-on team-building workshops, master-level chess exhibitions, personalized chess courses for executives and employee groups, and fully organized corporate chess tournaments. Engagements are personalized to each client, delivered in-person or remotely, and require no prior chess knowledge from participants.
Product overview
Ajedrez y Empresa (Chess Education and Technology SLU, CET), founded by Grandmaster Miguel Illescas in 2007, is a corporate training and education company that proposes chess as a formation tool and source of innovative inspiration for the corporate world. The company offers a portfolio of five distinct services: (1) Conferencias — corporate keynote presentations on chess strategy and decision-making; (2) Talleres — practical team-building workshops applying chess thinking habits; (3) Exhibiciones — master-level live chess exhibitions for corporate events; (4) Curso de Ajedrez — personalized chess instruction for executives and employees; and (5) Torneo de Empresa — professionally organized corporate chess tournaments. All services are personalized and adapted to each client's specific needs, delivered both in-person and remotely, and are designed to require no prior chess knowledge from participants.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Conferencias de Ajedrez Corporativo Keynote-style presentations on chess strategy and decision-making, delivered in-person or remotely via ZOOM, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams, tailored for corporate audiences at events, inaugurations, and anniversaries. No prior chess knowledge is required from attendees.
- Talleres de Ajedrez Empresarial Practical workshops combining chess immersion with team-building exercises that help participants understand and improve their thinking habits, decision-making approaches, and stress management skills. Typically delivered as 2–3 hour sessions or as multiple sessions.
- Exhibiciones de Ajedrez Entertainment events featuring simultaneous exhibitions, blindfold games, and rapid chess matches performed by masters (from International Masters to World Champions), with multimedia commentary so non-players can follow and understand the action. Designed for team-building, offsites, and retreats.
- Curso de Ajedrez para Empresas Flexible, personalized at-home chess instruction for executives or employee groups, teaching chess up to any desired level while delivering intellectual, character, and values formation benefits.
- Torneo de Empresa Corporate chess tournaments with internet support for multi-site participation, pre- and during-event tutoring, all necessary materials provided, and professional organization. Fosters values of sportsmanship, emotional management, and fair competition.
Companies that use Ajedrez y Empresa
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ajedrez y Empresa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Ajedrez y Empresa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Universidad de HuelvacoreMiguel Illescas participated in the Cátedra Caja Rural del Sur de Empresa Familiar lecture series at the University of Huelva. The partnership delivers chess-based business strategy education to students and faculty, with Tomás Escobar as director of the chair.
- Mobile World Capital BarcelonacoreAjedrez y Empresa participated in Talent Arena 2025, a major digital talent event held during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The partnership provides access to high-profile speaking platforms and positions the company at the intersection of technology, AI, and chess strategy. Miguel Illescas delivered keynote presentations alongside Garry Kasparov at this flagship technology event.
- SanoficoreCollaboration on the JaquEMate initiative to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis. Miguel Illescas participated in a live chess demonstration and roundtable discussion at Mobile World Congress 2025, connecting chess strategy with disease management and patient care approaches. The initiative included partnerships with Esclerosis Múltiple España and Cemcat.
- FIDE (World Chess Federation)minorCoverage and participation at FIDE chess events including the Wall Street Chess and Finance Conference. FIDE has been building connections between chess and the corporate world, with Ajedrez y Empresa content featured in FIDE press releases.
- Fundación Formación y FuturocoreOrganized the 'Encuentro de Toma de Decisiones' (Decision-Making Conference) at Círculo Ecuestre in Barcelona. Miguel Illescas delivered a keynote on chess and business decision-making in difficult environments. The foundation focuses on professional development and decision-making skills.
- Fundación MapfrecoreMiguel Illescas delivered a presentation at Fundación Mapfre on strategy and chess, coinciding with the BUGAMAP 2024 corporate strategy game final. The event was attended by MAPFRE executives and training staff.
- Caja Rural del SurcoreSponsorship of the Cátedra de Empresa Familiar at Universidad de Huelva, which featured Miguel Illescas as a speaker on chess and business strategy.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ajedrez y Empresa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- FIDE (International Chess Federation): Governing body for world chess, ecosystem player and event partner (Wall Street Chess and Finance Conference). Not directly competitive but provides partnership platform and credibility halo for chess-related corporate initiatives.
- LRN Corporation: Corporate ethics, compliance, and culture training provider serving global enterprises. Adjacent in the B2B corporate training space but focused on ethics/compliance rather than strategic thinking or decision-making.
Broad incumbents
- Huron Consulting Group: Global consulting firm with corporate culture and leadership practices (including legacy Senn Delaney). Competes for enterprise culture and leadership development budgets at much larger scale and broader scope than Ajedrez y Empresa's chess-specific niche.
- BTS: Global strategy execution and leadership development consulting firm founded in Sweden, with methodology-driven approach to corporate development. Overlaps with Ajedrez y Empresa in strategic-thinking training for large enterprises, but operates at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
- Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with leadership and talent development practices. Serves the same Fortune-class enterprise buyer segment with broader portfolio including executive search, assessment, and development programs.
- Dale Carnegie Training Spain: Established global corporate training franchise with Spain presence, offering broader curriculum (sales, leadership, communication, presentation skills). Represents a broader incumbent alternative that enterprise buyers may select over chess-niche offerings during procurement cycles.
- ESADE Executive Education: Top-tier Spanish business school with executive education programs. Both partner (delivers chess-strategy sessions) and competitor (broader executive development curriculum) for corporate strategic-thinking training in the Spanish market.
Emerging players
- Chess.com: World's largest online chess platform with consumer and education offerings. Operates in the same chess domain but with B2C/educational model rather than B2B corporate training; represents adjacent chess-business ecosystem expansion opportunity.
Direct peers
- MindGym: UK-based corporate training firm that applies behavioral science and structured mental techniques to improve corporate performance. Most comparable peer in applying a specific intellectual discipline (mind/behavioral science) to enterprise development, with similar B2B sales model and enterprise client base.
- Smart League: Spanish corporate team-building and experiential events company using games and sports formats. Directly comparable in product category (corporate experiential training) and target market (Spanish enterprises seeking differentiated team-building offerings).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ajedrez y Empresa social profiles
Digital presenceAjedrez y Empresa compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Ajedrez y Empresa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ajedrez y Empresa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ajedrez y Empresa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ajedrez y Empresa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ajedrez y Empresa
What does Ajedrez y Empresa do?
Ajedrez y Empresa (legally Chess Education and Technology S.L.U., CET) delivers customized corporate training services that use chess as a formation and inspiration tool for businesses. The offering spans five customer-purchasable services: corporate chess conferences, hands-on team-building workshops, master-level chess exhibitions, personalized chess courses for executives and employee groups, and fully organized corporate chess tournaments. Engagements are personalized to each client, delivered in-person or remotely, and require no prior chess knowledge from participants.
Is Ajedrez y Empresa a public or private company?
Ajedrez y Empresa is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ajedrez y Empresa founded?
Ajedrez y Empresa was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ajedrez y Empresa based?
Ajedrez y Empresa is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does Ajedrez y Empresa make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Corporate Training Services are the primary driver. The others are chess Courses and corporate Chess Tournaments.
Who are Ajedrez y Empresa's main competitors?
Others on record are FIDE (International Chess Federation) and LRN Corporation. Broad incumbents are Huron Consulting Group, BTS, Korn Ferry, Dale Carnegie Training Spain and ESADE Executive Education. Chess.com is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are MindGym and Smart League.
Does Ajedrez y Empresa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ajedrez y Empresa.
What industry is Ajedrez y Empresa in?
Ajedrez y Empresa's product category is Corporate Training and Professional Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAEAEAF, Poker Training, Coaching & Content (Courses, Solvers, Communities). Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.