Europe Échecs
Europe Échecs is a France-based chess media and gaming platform founded in 1959, offering tiered subscriptions that bundle online play, Stockfish-powered analysis, tactical training, 1,000+ video lessons, and a monthly print/digital magazine, serving recreational-to-advanced chess players across five language sister sites.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- HeadquartersNot specified, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Europe Échecs does
Europe Échecs is a France-based private company, founded in 1959, that operates an integrated chess media and gaming platform centered on a French-language website (europe-echecs.com) and a monthly print/digital magazine ("Revue Europe Échecs," currently issue 777, July/August 2026). The platform bundles online play (live and correspondence chess across multiple time controls including bullet, blitz, rapid, standard, Chess960, and Battle variants), play-against-computer with adjustable difficulty, game analysis powered by the Stockfish 16 open-source engine (supporting PGN import and variant exploration), a tactical training module with themed puzzles, and a library of more than 1,000 video lessons organized into recurring weekly series (Minute Stratégie, Minute Finale, Coup de Légende, Calcul Gagnant). It also publishes structured lessons by theme and level (openings, endgames, strategy, tactics), live broadcasts of major chess tournaments, a Predichess prediction contest covering 10 major 2026 events, and classifieds for tournaments and coaching.
The company's revenue model is B2C subscription-led, with three tiered annual packs — Pack Jeu+ at €39.90/year (unlimited play, analysis, tactical training, ad-free), Pack Intégral at €99.90/year (adds unlimited video access, 4+ new videos weekly, online magazine), and Pack Intégral + Revue papier at €249.90/year (adds 11 printed magazine issues). A standalone magazine subscription is priced at €79.95/year. Ancillary revenue streams include a chess merchandise e-commerce store (boutique.echecs.com) and per-video purchases outside subscription tiers. The customer base spans recreational to advanced chess players (roughly 1,170–1,800+ Elo) in French-speaking markets and, via sister sites in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Vietnamese, internationally. Distribution is digital-first with mobile apps for iOS and Android under the SimpleChess brand, complemented by postal magazine delivery in France and abroad. No funding rounds, institutional investors, parent company, M&A activity, or external leadership changes are disclosed in the input data, consistent with long-standing, likely independent or founder/family-led ownership across 67 continuous years of operation.
Europe Échecs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Europe Échecs
- Legal name
- Europe Échecs
- Website
- https://europe-echecs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Europe Échecs is a France-based chess media and gaming platform founded in 1959, offering tiered subscriptions that bundle online play, Stockfish-powered analysis, tactical training, 1,000+ video lessons, and a monthly print/digital magazine, serving recreational-to-advanced chess players across five language sister sites.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Europe Échecs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Chess Platform
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy/Euro Board Games Retail (CRALALAC)
Keywords
Where Europe Échecs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Not specified
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Europe Échecs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Subscription - Pack Jeu+: Annual subscription providing unlimited online play, game analysis, tactical training zone, and ad-free experience. Auto-renewing monthly option available.
- Subscription - Pack Intégral: Premium tier including all Pack Jeu+ features plus unlimited video access, 4 new videos per week, themed lessons, and online magazine access
- Subscription - Pack Intégral + Revue papier: Full premium package with physical magazine delivery (11 issues per year) plus all digital benefits
- Magazine Sales: Monthly/periodic printed chess magazine (Europe Échecs revue) covering news, analysis, openings, endgames, tactics. Also available digitally. Current issue n°777 (July/August 2026)
- E-commerce - Chess Merchandise: Online store selling chess boards, caps, T-shirts, gift packs, old magazines. Physical goods complementing digital services
- Video on Demand (VOD): Over 1000 video lessons available covering openings, endgames, tactics, strategy. Some series reserved for subscribers, others available as individual purchases
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Pack Jeu+ - Basic playing subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Pack Intégral - Full digital access |
| Subscription | Annual | Pack Intégral + Revue papier - Complete package with physical magazine |
| Subscription | Annual | Magazine only - France |
| Subscription | Annual | Magazine only - Foreign |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free account - Basic features |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Europe Échecs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Europe Échecs is a French chess platform founded in 1959 that provides an integrated online chess ecosystem. It offers subscription-based access to live and correspondence online chess play, game analysis powered by the Stockfish 16 engine, tactical training, over 1,000 video lessons, a monthly chess magazine in print and digital formats, and community features such as the Predichess prediction contests. The company also operates a merchandise e-commerce store and sister chess sites in multiple languages.
Product overview
Europe Échecs is a comprehensive chess platform founded in 1959, offering a multi-tiered subscription service centered around three core products: the Pack Jeu+ (entry-tier gaming package), Pack Intégral (full premium subscription combining games, videos, lessons, and online magazine), and the Pack Intégral + Revue papier (which adds print magazine delivery). The platform provides live and asynchronous online chess play, computer opponent challenges, game analysis powered by Stockfish 16, tactical training modules, and a library of over 1000 educational videos organized into series (Minute Stratégie, Minute Finale, Coup de Légende, Calcul Gagnant). The company publishes the monthly Europe Echecs magazine in both print and digital formats and operates live tournament broadcasts. Additional offerings include Predichess (prediction contests), themed chess lessons by level, a chess classifieds marketplace, and sister sites in Spanish (AjedrezOnline.com), Portuguese (Jogar-Xadrez.com), and Vietnamese (Covua-Vn.com), plus the dedicated SimpleChess.com gaming platform with mobile apps.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Predichess: Chess prediction contest platform for major tournaments
- SimpleChess
Products and services
- Pack Jeu+ Entry-level annual subscription providing unlimited online chess play, game analysis, tactical training, and an ad-free experience. Priced at €39.90/year or €4.90/month with auto-renewal.
- Pack Intégral Premium annual subscription including all Pack Jeu+ features plus unlimited video access, 4 new videos per week, themed lessons, and online magazine access. Priced at €99.90/year.
- Pack Intégral + Revue papier Complete package combining Pack Intégral digital benefits with 11 printed magazine issues delivered annually. Priced at €249.90/year.
- Revue Europe Echecs (papier) Monthly printed chess magazine featuring grandmaster analyses, tournament coverage, strategy lessons, and a pedagogical supplement. Available via subscription (€79.95/year for France) or single issues.
- Revue Europe Echecs (en ligne) Online version of the monthly chess magazine, accessible for 1 year from publication date, included in Pack Intégral.
- Jouer en direct Live online chess platform supporting Standard, Chess960, and Battle modes with Elo ratings, multiple time controls including bullet, blitz, rapid, and standard.
- Jouer contre l'ordinateur Play against the computer with adjustable difficulty levels ranging from beginner to advanced.
- Jeu en différé Asynchronous online chess play where players take turns over multiple days with no time pressure.
- Predichess Free chess prediction competition covering 10 major 2026 tournaments including Tata Steel Masters, Candidates, Norway Chess, and World Championship Match with combined ranking system.
- Boutique E-commerce store at boutique.echecs.com selling chess merchandise including chess boards, caps, T-shirts, gift packs, and back issues of the magazine.
- Événements en direct Live tournament broadcasts with real-time game viewer, multiple board sizes, and PGN downloads covering major events.
- SimpleChess.com Dedicated chess gaming platform with mobile apps for iOS and Android, separate from the main Europe Échecs site.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4 new videos added per week
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Europe Échecs
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Europe Échecs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Europe Échecs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- C'Chartres ÉchecscoreLong-standing partnership with C'Chartres Échecs for organizing blitz tournaments, match events, and championship competitions. Multiple events co-organized including Blitz Men Master, Blitz Women Master, and various GM matches broadcast on the platform.
- AjedrezOnline.comminorSpanish-language chess platform sister site, part of international brand family extending reach to Spanish-speaking audiences
- SimpleChess.comminorEnglish-language chess platform sister site with dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android. Part of international brand family.
- Jogar-Xadrez.comminorPortuguese-language chess platform sister site, part of international brand family for Portuguese-speaking audiences
- Covua-Vn.comminorVietnamese-language chess platform sister site, part of international brand family for Vietnamese-speaking audiences
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Europe Échecs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chess24: Online chess platform (now owned by Chess.com) offering play, lessons, and live tournament broadcasts. Comparable in product mix to Europe Échecs, especially in live event coverage and video content.
- Chess.com: World's largest online chess platform offering play, lessons, tournaments, and content in a subscription model. Directly comparable to Europe Échecs across online play, video lessons, and subscription tiers, but at vastly greater global scale.
- Lichess: Free, open-source online chess platform offering play, analysis, and tournaments. Competes directly with Europe Échecs' online play and analysis features, exerting pricing pressure on subscription-based models.
- New In Chess: Dutch chess magazine and platform offering print and digital subscriptions, books, and training content. Closely comparable to Europe Échecs' print magazine + digital subscription model, though serving a different European language market.
- Play Magnus Group: Chess training and events company (founded by Magnus Carlsen, now part of Chess.com) offering learn-chess apps, tournaments, and master classes. Comparable to Europe Échecs in chess education and tournament organization.
Broad incumbents
- ChessBase: German-based chess software and media company offering databases, engines, news, and training. Comparable to Europe Échecs in content production and engine-driven analysis (Stockfish vs. ChessBase engines), with broader professional/tournament focus.
- Chess Life (US Chess): Official magazine and platform of the US Chess Federation, combining print publication, online play, and tournament organization. Comparable to Europe Échecs' integrated magazine + platform model in the English-speaking market.
Emerging players
- FIDE Online Arena: Official online playing platform of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Comparable to Europe Échecs' online play and rating system, with backing from chess's global governing body creating competitive pressure on rating legitimacy.
- Shredder Chess: Chess engine and software company offering playing programs and analysis tools. Comparable to Europe Échecs' Stockfish-powered analysis features, though focused on software rather than full media ecosystem.
Regional players
- Chess & Bridge: UK-based chess retailer and supplier offering books, equipment, and software. Comparable to Europe Échecs' e-commerce and merchandise offerings (chess boards, books, accessories), though primarily retail-focused.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Europe Échecs social profiles
Digital presenceEurope Échecs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Europe Échecs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Europe Échecs subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Europe Échecs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Europe Échecs 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 Europe Échecs
What does Europe Échecs do?
Europe Échecs is a French chess platform founded in 1959 that provides an integrated online chess ecosystem. It offers subscription-based access to live and correspondence online chess play, game analysis powered by the Stockfish 16 engine, tactical training, over 1,000 video lessons, a monthly chess magazine in print and digital formats, and community features such as the Predichess prediction contests. The company also operates a merchandise e-commerce store and sister chess sites in multiple languages.
Is Europe Échecs a public or private company?
Europe Échecs is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Europe Échecs founded?
Europe Échecs was founded in 1959. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Europe Échecs based?
Europe Échecs is headquartered in Not specified, France, in the Europe region.
How does Europe Échecs make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Subscription - Pack Jeu+ is the primary driver. The others are subscription - Pack Intégral, subscription - Pack Intégral + Revue papier, magazine Sales, E-commerce - Chess Merchandise and video on Demand (VOD).
Who are Europe Échecs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chess24, Chess.com, Lichess, New In Chess and Play Magnus Group. Broad incumbents are ChessBase and Chess Life (US Chess). Emerging players are FIDE Online Arena and Shredder Chess. Chess & Bridge is listed as a regional player.
Does Europe Échecs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Europe Échecs.
What industry is Europe Échecs in?
Europe Échecs's product category is Online Chess Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALALAC, Strategy/Euro Board Games Retail. Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 7900.