---
title: "Simultaneous exhibition in chess"
url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/simultaneous-exhibition.md"
canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/simultaneous-exhibition"
last_updated: "2026-11-07"
type: "reference"
summary: "A simultaneous exhibition is an event in which one strong player plays many opponents at once. The guests sit and wait."
related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blindfold-chess.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-odds.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/visualization.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-clock.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-control.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/time-controls.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"]
---

# Simultaneous exhibition in chess

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A simultaneous exhibition is an event in which one strong player plays many opponents at once. The guests sit and wait.

A simultaneous exhibition is an event in which one strong player plays many opponents at once, moving from board to board while each opponent has time to think between visits.

In a simultaneous exhibition, often called a simul, a single strong player walks around a ring of boards and plays a game against each guest. The guests sit and wait. When the master arrives at a board, the guest makes a reply, the master responds quickly and moves to the next board. There is no clock for each game, so the master's time is the limit, and the whole event usually lasts a couple of hours.

The master may play every board as White, which makes the [opening](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/opening.md) plan easier to repeat. Guests have a real advantage in thinking time, since they can study their position for the minutes it takes the master to complete the circle. A good strategy is to keep the position solid and look for a [tactic](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/tactic.md) at the right moment.

Simuls are common at schools, clubs and festivals, and they are a friendly way for a beginner to play someone much stronger. Results are usually a large win for the master, with a few draws and occasional wins for guests. Afterwards, many masters review interesting positions with the group.

Also called: simul.

It sits close to [Blindfold chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blindfold-chess.md). Blindfold chess is played without seeing the board or the pieces, so each player must hold the whole position in memory and name every move aloud or through notation.

Compare it with [Time odds](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-odds.md). Time odds is a handicap in which one player is given less time on the clock than the other, so a stronger player can face a weaker one in a more balanced game.

Time controls change what a player should practice, and the [improvement plans by rating band](https://georgelichess.com/improve.md) show how the habits behind "Simultaneous exhibition" differ across rating ranges.

## Related terms

- [Blindfold chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blindfold-chess.md)
- [Time odds](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-odds.md)
- [Swiss system](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md)
- [Visualization](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/visualization.md)
- [Chess clock](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-clock.md)
- [Time control](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-control.md)

## Guides that go further

- [Chess time control calculator](https://georgelichess.com/tools/time-control-calculator.md): See whether a base time and increment counts as bullet, blitz, rapid or classical.
- [Average chess rating and a good chess rating](https://georgelichess.com/chess-rating-percentiles.md): What share of active Lichess players are rated above 800, 1200, 1500, 1800 or 2000, by time control.
- [Chess ratings explained](https://georgelichess.com/chess-ratings-explained.md): What a rating measures, how FIDE, Lichess, US Chess and chess.com compute theirs, and why the numbers differ.

[Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com.

## Related

- [Blindfold chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blindfold-chess.md)
- [Time odds in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-odds.md)
- [Swiss system in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md)
- [Visualization in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/visualization.md)
- [Chess clock](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-clock.md)
- [Time control in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-control.md)
- [Chess terms: Time controls and formats](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/time-controls.md)
- [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)