From February 11 to 15 the Santa Maria della Scala museum complex presents Siena Says Checkmate, a showcase that weaves together chess, culture, art and artificial intelligence, transforming the game into a lens on the present. Five days of events, tournaments, workshops and performances to present chess as a universal language capable of bringing together thought, creativity and society.
Alongside the program of conferences and competitions – from the Trofeo Next Gen Italia to university and Rapid tournaments – a central role is entrusted to the exhibition of art, photography and collectibles, open for the entire duration of the event. The halls host works by nationally and internationally renowned artists, among whom are also creators who have painted the Palio of Siena, offering pictorial and visual interpretations able to convey the symbolic and aesthetic value of chess, in a dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity.
The photographic section broadens its scope by including both auteur images and a space dedicated to sintography, with works generated through the use of artificial intelligence that probe the relationship between human creativity and technology.
Great attention is also devoted to new technologies applied to the visitor experience: virtual totems, interactive installations and mechanical arms will allow guests to play chess in novel ways, experimenting with the direct confrontation between human and machine.
Siena Says Checkmate thus confirms itself as an open and cross-disciplinary event, capable of engaging enthusiasts, the curious and visitors, valorizing Siena as a meeting place for art, culture and innovation.
Others Events
- Initiatives
Closing of the exhibition “Paper Garden. The thread and the mark: grafts, assemblages, diary-books”
6 Jun 2025/6 Jun 2025On the occasion of the exhibition's closing, on Friday, June 6 we are offering a finissage made up of several moments throughout the day. The artist will be present at the finissage.
- Exhibitions
"Oh Good!" by Moustapha Cessay at the Briganti Library
24 Sep 2025/31 Oct 2025On the occasion of the fifth edition of the Festival Voci Migranti, the Biblioteca e Fototeca Giuliano Briganti hosts from 24 to 31 October the work Oh Good! by the artist Moustapha Cessay, created as part of the project Le Valigie Digitali.
- Presentations
Fausto Melotti. In Lightness | A tribute to Italo Calvino
20 Sep 2025/20 Sep 2025Saturday, 20 September 2025, at 4:30 PM, at the Sala Sant’Ansano, the presentation of the book Fausto Melotti. In Lightness | A Tribute to Italo Calvino, edited by Michelina Eremita and published by Silvana Editoriale, will be held.
- #MeetingsAtLaScala
#IncontriallaScala- Museology and perception. From the contemplation of beauty to the aesthetic experience
18 Sep 2025/18 Sep 2025Thursday, September 18 at 5:30 PM, the Santa Maria della Scala hosts a new event in the #IncontriallaScala series, dedicated to the presentation of the book Museology and Perception. From the contemplation of beauty to the aesthetic experience, written by Domenico Piraina and Maurizio Vanni and published by Pacini Editore.
- Initiatives
Bright-Night returns to Santa Maria della Scala. Stands, talks, research walks, guided tours and music
26 Sep 2025/26 Sep 2025The Bright-Night 2025 of the University of Siena returns on Friday, September 26 inside the museum complex.
- Events
Siena Comics For Kids. The comics festival at the museum!
3 Oct 2025/5 Oct 2025At Santa Maria della Scala, from October 3 to 5, 2025, the fifth edition of Siena Comics For Kids will take place, the comics festival dedicated to children and young people.
- Initiatives
OPEN ARCHIVES WEEK – 11th edition
18 Oct 2025/26 Oct 2025From 18 to 25 October 2025, the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala is participating in the eleventh edition of the Open Archives Week, the event promoted by Rete Fotografia to highlight and raise awareness of the photographic heritage preserved in Italian archives.
- Presentations
Presentation of the book “Vita mia. Japan 1943. Memories of an Italian girl in a prison camp” by Dacia Maraini
30 Jan 2025/30 Jan 2025Thursday, 30 January 2025 at 6:00 PM, in the Italo Calvino hall, we host the writer Dacia Maraini who presents the book Vita mia. Giappone 1943. Memorie di una bambina italiana in un campo di prigionia (Rizzoli, 2023), in the week in which Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated.
- Conferences
Public conversation Santa Maria della Scala and its future with Architect Luca Molinari
21 May 2025/21 May 2025On Wednesday, May 21, in the Italo Calvino hall, architect Luca Molinari will speak with representatives of Odile Decq, Studio LAN and Hannes Peer to present the design competition for the restoration and enhancement of over 18,000 sq m of the Museum Complex. The goal is to strengthen its cultural and educational mission.
- Initiatives
At the museum: rehearsals of Regeneration Opera by Amat
9 Oct 2025/10 Oct 2025In October the museum hosts the workshops of the project Supporting the Horizon and the rehearsals of Regeneration Opera, an AMAT initiative for the training of young musicians. The project involves schools and the museum's workshops, promoting the regeneration of the theatre audience.
