CHESS

“CHESS” is a serious strategic-level tabletop wargame that pushes participants to manage complex cyber threats within multi-domain hybrid scenarios. It immerses players in a realistic pre-war environment, emphasizing the integration of PMESII (Political, Military, Economic, Social, Information and Infrastructure) variables into strategic decision-making within the Cyber Domain.
Developed by the NATO Modelling and Simulation Centre of Excellence, “CHESS” is a unique platform for hands-on learning in:

  • Cyber Conflict Management and engagement with Cyber Threats: Participants face evolving hybrid scenarios that require real-time responses and strategy adaptations. Players engage in scenarios featuring hybrid warfare and cyber crisis response.
  • Strategic Decision-Making: Strengthen critical thinking and strategy development under pressure, while the risk of war (invoking Article 4/5) increases and decreases throughout the game, compromising the stability of the countries being played.
  • Cross-Domain Integration: Apply NATO doctrines to navigate the convergence of cyber and conventional warfare.
  • Incorporation of PMESII Variables: Each scenario challenges players to analyze how political dynamics, economic factors, social contexts, information flows and infrastructure conditions are influenced by the Cyberspace Operations outcomes. 

Key Features & Benefits 

    • High-Fidelity Scenarios: Real-world inspired scenarios featuring realistic cyber challenges in a hybrid warfare situation, enhanced by updated open-source data relevant to the countries being played.
    • Strategic Depth: Designed for senior leadership to foster expertise in cyberspace operations strategy.
    • Collaborative Learning Environment: Network with experts from political, military (national and international staff) and other strategic domains for a unique learning experience.

“CHESS” Displays 

  • NATO DEFENCE COLLEGE, Rome: Senior Course volunteer attendees played the game and provided significant contributions to the consistent development of this game at the strategic level.
  • NATO HQ, Brussels: Successfully presented during the Centers of Excellence Marketplace, drawing experts and leaders from across NATO.
  • Wargaming Initiative for NATO (WIN24), Hamburg: Featured at the WIN24, marking a milestone in NATO’s wargaming and Cyberspace Operations advancement.
  • NATO CA2X2 Forum, Rome:Successfully presented during the forum, engaging experts and leaders from across the M&S (Modelling and Simulation) and Wargaming community.
  • Cyber Conference 2025, Tallinn:Presented in Tallinn, highlighting its role as a NATO tool for training and experimentation in the strategic Cyber Domain.”

Ideal Participants 

“CHESS” is crafted for: 

  • Leadership training: Senior commanders, decision and policy makers, and cyber strategists.
  • Cybersecurity and Defense Experts: Professionals in the military and defense sectors.
  • Academic & Research Institutions: Scholars and researchers specializing in cyber defense, wargaming, and hybrid warfare.

Digital CHESS

Building on the physical version of CHESS (Cyberspace Hybrid Warfare for Educational Strategic Scenarios), the NATO M&S COE has developed Digital CHESS (D-CHESS), a digital strategic cyber wargame designed to support cyber decision-making, training, education and experimentation.

D-CHESS extends the capabilities of the physical wargame through five key advantages:

  • Distributed participation and team coordination: players can connect from different locations and operate within the same wargaming environment. Beyond the Team Leader, D-CHESS enables the active participation of a wider staff, with dedicated advisors covering the different PMESII domains. This facilitates collaboration, information sharing and coordination among advisors, supporting the Team Leader in developing a comprehensive assessment and making informed strategic decisions.
  • Greater scalability: the digital environment supports more players, additional roles and multiple parallel sessions, enabling larger and more complex wargaming activities.
  • Automated data collection and analysis: the platform manages the game mechanics and records actions and decisions throughout the session, providing structured data for After-Action Reviews (AAR), comparison and further analysis.
  • Flexible and repeatable scenarios: scenarios can be rapidly modified to reflect evolving cyber threats and operational requirements, and replayed with different participants or approaches to compare decision-making and outcomes.
  • AI integration: the digital architecture facilitates the integration of AI agents to further enhance the wargaming environment. AI can support data analysis, including the exploitation of game data and decision patterns, or act directly as players or advisors, opening new possibilities for experimentation, training and education.

D-CHESS complements rather than replaces the physical CHESS wargame. It preserves its strategic and educational approach while extending it through distributed participation, enhanced staff coordination, scalability, automation, repeatability, data-driven analysis and the integration of AI.

Be Part of the Future of Cyberspace Operations 

To learn more about “CHESS” and how to purchase it, please contact: 

Lt. Col.  (OF-4) ITA Army Andrea DE SIMONE  andrea.desimone@mscoe.org

Connect with NATO’s Modelling and Simulation Centre of Excellence to deepen your expertise in the vital field of cyberspace and hybrid warfare.