Russian Jail Chess Cup Video Advert: Play for Your Life

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2014

Hello everyone,

Russian Chess Federation: Jail Chess CupThe headline in Russian has a play on words: the first meaning is 'outplay your life' and at the same time it means 'change your life'.

TBWA\Moscow, The Russian Chess Federation, with the support of Anatoly Karpov and the Federal Penitentiary Service of Ryazan have come out in support of prisoners already on the road to rehabilitation and hosted a chess tournament between several prisons. 

The finalists have been given a chance for early release.

The idea of a prisoners’ chess tournament was developed by the creative agency TBWA\ Moscow, on the request of the Russian Chess Federation. The concept of the campaign is communicated in the slogan, “Play for your life”; participation in a chess tournament as a way of receiving a letter of recommendation. TBWA\ Moscow developed the campaign based on the status of chess as an intellectual sport, one that makes the player think several moves ahead and assess the likely outcome of his decisions. 




These qualities form an essential part of the rehabilitation process for those in correctional facilities. Any prisoner, regardless of their level of experience, could participate in the tournament. The only condition for entry was a desire to turn their lives around and engage in the rehabilitation process. All short films were shot on location in the Pre-trial Detention Centre, which helped communicate a real idea of the prisoners’ daily environment.

Advertising Agency: TBWA\Moscow, Russia
Creative Director: Maxim Kolyshev
Art Director: Natalia Bystrova
Copywriter: Julia Komolikova
Designer: Igor Erasov
Published: March 2014

Read also 

Karpov-Inspired Chess Match between US, Russian Jail Inmates! Guess who won

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel