Antoine Beaufils - Speaker on strategy
Chess professor with over 7,000 hours of teaching, Antoine Beaufils uses the chessboard to discuss decision-making, anticipation, and risk management, with live demonstrations accessible to all.
Antoine Beaufils has been playing chess since the age of five and has been teaching it for nearly ten years. With over 7,000 hours of classes delivered, he founded 64 Squares, which designs conferences, bootcamps, and chess tournaments for companies, in Paris and Île-de-France.
His conference "Five Ways to Decide" starts from chess positions to illuminate mechanisms that everyone experiences at work: modeling a situation, anticipating consequences, arbitrating between risk and opportunity, deciding under time pressure, and then explaining one's reasoning to others. Examples range from major historical games to Magnus Carlsen and artificial intelligence. No prior knowledge of chess is necessary.
Each intervention is prepared with the client: a prior exchange allows for adapting vocabulary, examples, and tone to the company's and audience's challenges.
The conference can be offered alone, from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, or as a closing to a bootcamp where participants play in teams before reflecting on what they have experienced. In September 2026, Groupama gathered 60 employees for a morning of workshops followed by the conference and forty minutes of questions.
Antoine speaks in French and English, for groups of 10 to over 300 people. He has been featured in Point de Vue and was a guest on the show "Athletes" on Radio Campus Paris. References: Groupama, Vivendi, Sopra Steria, Eight Advisory.
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Frequently asked questions
Which topics does Antoine Beaufils cover as a speaker?
Antoine Beaufils speaks on the following topics: prise de decision, strategie, team building, cohesion dequipe and leadership.
How do I book Antoine Beaufils for a conference?
To book Antoine Beaufils, contact the Lespeakers agency. An advisor will call you back to scope the event, dates and format.
How much does a conference with Antoine Beaufils cost?
Antoine Beaufils's fees:
- Conference : 3500 €
Booking is handled through Lespeakers.
Which languages does Antoine Beaufils speak on stage?
Antoine Beaufils speaks as speaker in french and english.
Where is Antoine Beaufils based?
Here is where Antoine Beaufils is based: Paris, France.
Where does Antoine Beaufils speak?
Antoine Beaufils's speaking locations: France · Europe.
Which speaking formats does Antoine Beaufils offer?
Antoine Beaufils offers the following formats: Conférence, Séminaire, Atelier, Convention.
Which audience should book Antoine Beaufils?
Managers, Dirigeants, Collaborateurs, Comités de direction.
What did Antoine Beaufils do before becoming a speaker?
I am a chess teacher. I started giving lessons during my master's at the Sorbonne, and then I made it my full-time job starting in 2020. Before that, I worked in innovation at Nexity, where I recruited and supported start-ups for the Start-up Studio accelerator, and as a business developer at OLY Be.
What led Antoine Beaufils to become a speaker?
The companies. By giving lessons at the office at Eight Advisory or Vivendi, I saw that employees made the connection between the game and their decisions at work themselves. In 2026, Groupama asked me to conclude a morning of chess with a conference. It was the logical continuation of what I was already discussing in class, in front of a full room.
Why book Antoine Beaufils rather than another speaker?
Because I demonstrate decision-making live, on a chessboard, instead of discussing it abstractly. I come from the field: over 7,000 hours of classes, years of corporate training, and a format that engages participants before drawing lessons.
What is Antoine Beaufils's speaking angle?
The chessboard as a laboratory for decision-making. Each move is a decision made with incomplete information, under time pressure, against someone who is also thinking. The audience sees and experiences it, rather than hearing it in theory.
How does the audience experience a talk by Antoine Beaufils?
The audience participates: we search together for the right move, we vote by raising hands, we make mistakes and understand why. The pace alternates between demonstration, questions to the audience, and anecdotes from great games.
Why do organizers like working with Antoine Beaufils?
Because I prepare each intervention with them, I respond quickly, I respect the schedules, and I adapt to the context of the event. I provide the materials and take care of organizing the workshops.
What concrete results can the audience expect after a talk by Antoine Beaufils?
A common vocabulary to discuss decision-making, a few simple reflexes (simplify, anticipate, arbitrate, know when to stop calculating) and a shared memory among colleagues.
Professional career
- 2026Cofondateur de MOVE THINK PLAY, team building yoga, échecs et babyfoot
MOVE THINK PLAY
- 2026Première conférence « Cinq façons de décider » et bootcamp pour 60 collaborateurs
Groupama
- 2023Fondateur de 64 Squares : conférences, bootcamps et tournois d'échecs en entreprise
64 Squares
- 2022Cours d'échecs hebdomadaires pour les collaborateurs, trois groupes de niveau
Vivendi
- 2021Cours d'échecs en entreprise puis organisation d'un tournoi interne
Eight Advisory
- 2019Assistant de direction de l'accélérateur Start-up Studio
Nexity
His conferences
Chess & Strategy Bootcamp: playing in teams, then stepping back to reflect on decisions
An immersive half-day format that combines practice and conference. Participants start by playing in teams and by level, before stepping back to reflect on what they have just experienced. No prior knowledge of chess is required: beginners learn the basics in a few minutes, while experienced players are challenged.
Indicative schedule, customizable (3h30):
- Welcome and introduction to the basic rules, in the form of an ice breaker.
- Team initiation and first guided games.
- Strategy workshops: anticipation and decision-making under time constraints.
- Collective challenge: team games and express tournament.
- Closing conference and debrief on strategy, error management, and decision-making, followed by a discussion with the audience.
The bootcamp creates a shared experience among collaborators who do not necessarily work together, then provides concrete keys for decision-making: simplifying a situation, anticipating, arbitrating between risk and caution, knowing when to stop calculating to act.
In September 2026, Groupama gathered 60 collaborators for a morning of this type: three workshops per level running in parallel, followed by a conference and forty minutes of questions.
The facilitation is provided by Antoine Beaufils, supported by other speakers depending on the number of participants, including an International Chess Master. Game materials (boards, pieces, clocks) and support materials are provided. For 10 to 100 people, in French or English, in Paris, Île-de-France, or on the move.
Five Ways to Decide: What Chess Teaches About Decision Making
Every move in chess is a decision made with incomplete information, under time pressure, against an opponent who is also thinking. This is exactly the situation that teams and leaders face every day. Using famous positions and games projected on a big screen, Antoine Beaufils shows five ways to decide:
- Model: the rating is extremely useful, and it is wrong. How to simplify a situation without getting trapped in it.
- Anticipate: nothing is free, everything is deferred. Think about the consequences of your choices several moves ahead.
- Arbiter: taking no risks is a choice like any other. Find the right balance between caution and risk-taking.
- Decide: know when to stop calculating and take action, especially when time is short.
- Explain: make your reasoning understandable to others, a condition for engaging a team.
Examples range from major games in history to Magnus Carlsen and artificial intelligence, then are transposed to a concrete decision-making meeting situation. No knowledge of chess is necessary: the diagrams are readable from anywhere in the room and each idea is explained simply.
The conference lasts one hour, including questions, and can range from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. It is prepared with the client during a prior exchange to incorporate the vocabulary and issues of the company. It is aimed at groups of 10 to over 300 people, in French or in English, at the opening or closing of a seminar.