We've got them popping up all over the place at work - from chestnuts planted by squirrels and jays - they just bury them in the lawn, flower beds, pots of bulbs etc and forget where they put them - by late spring we're having to mow them out of the lawn, dig them out of the flower beds and empty out the pots of bulbs to get rid of them - make sure you get fresh chestnuts freshly fallen from the tree and plant the biggest of the two or three kernels you'll find in the spiney cases.
In our experience nothing will stop them growing! 
