Ippotis at the Athens Marathon Expo with the South Aegean Region
As part of the Athens Marathon The Authentic, the Chess Club of Rhodes “Ippotis” is at the Marathon Expo together with the South Aegean Region. We represent the sport of our islands at stand 75 on the first floor until Saturday 7 November.
The first day, Wednesday 4 November, brought plenty of people to the stand. Runners, families and visitors to the expo stopped to watch the games up close. Many of them could not resist taking a seat at the board themselves.
A game against a robot
The star of the stand is the SenseRobot chess robot. It sits across the board from you, works out its move and moves the pieces itself with its mechanical arm. Anyone can sit down and test their chess against it.
On the first day the robot faced opponents of every level. Some visitors did not yet know how the pieces move and made their first moves with help from our members. FIDE Master Nikolaos Koutlas, rated over 2400 Elo, also stopped by and sat down to play the robot. Chess has room for everyone, from someone just learning how the knight moves to an experienced tournament player.
The prize wheel
You will also find a prize wheel at the stand. Give it a spin and you could be the lucky one who takes home a beautiful glass chessboard.
Our tournaments and the big date in August
At the stand we also share information about the club’s tournaments. Every event of the season is listed in our tournament schedule.
Our international tournament in Rhodes in August 2027 stands out, with €14,000 in total prize money. That is one of the largest prize funds for an individual chess tournament in Greece. The prizes are spread across many categories, so quite a few players win money and not only the leaders of the overall standings. You can see how this year’s edition went on the Rodos Palace Chess Open 2026 site.
Come and see us by Saturday
We are at the Marathon Expo every day until Saturday 7 November, from 10:00 to 21:00. Go up to the first floor and visit stand 75 of the South Aegean Region. We would love to meet you and play a game together!
Our warm thanks to the South Aegean Region for hosting us at its stand and for the cooperation.
Photos from the stand
