Judit Polgar's Global Chess Festival Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival 2024 celebrated its 10th anniversary on September 17-18. Following its motto of "Chess Connects Us," each year the festival aims to create an atmosphere that is welcoming and captivating for chess enthusiasts of all kinds, showcasing the "1000 faces of chess" with its creative assortment of activities.  

Aspiring players could team up against GM Judit Polgar herself in her community simul. Art connoisseurs could experience artwork inspired by chess compositions honoring GM Pal Benko. Fans of the game could get their books signed by the trio of Polgar sisters and meet their favorite top players from the Olympiad at “Meet the Stars.”

Sisterhood. Chess Olympiads. 1988 feat 2024.🙂#ChessConnectsUs #family #mysis #strong #together #memories #ChessOlympiad pic.twitter.com/vIHHdJ1QX2

— Judit Polgar (@GMJuditPolgar) September 13, 2024

There were a myriad of interactive activities for kids, including Chess Palace adventure trails where children could interact like the pieces themselves on a lifesize chess board. For those interested in a twist on the classic game, Polgar re-introduced StarChess, a variant invented by her father, Laszlo Polgar. 

#StarChess
10th Judit Polgar's Globel Chess Festival - National Gallery, Budapest
We are here - and you? ❤😎#ChessConnectsUs @MorganStanley #inspiration #game #fun #chess #science #art #initiatives #sport pic.twitter.com/tVlk5KHiCU

— Judit Polgar (@GMJuditPolgar) September 17, 2024

Judit Polgar's community simul introduced a novel format. She played eight games at once, but instead of facing individuals―she took on eight communities, who teamed up and voted amongst each other to determine moves.

The community teams featured a diverse range of competitors such as Hungarian Sports Legends, News Nagivators, and Champions of Courage, representing the community of visually and hearing-impaired people.

In the end, Polgar defeated five of the communities. She sacrificed an exchange to avoid a draw vs. the ChessKid community and gave the youngsters a lesson on tactics in the endgame.

Combining strategic play and tactical awareness, Polgar gained a potent position on the queenside vs. Artful Inspiration. When the ambitious artists responded by sacrificing a bishop to open up her king, Polgar successfully dodged their creative diversion. 

The sole winner was the community of Zachary Saine, the streamer and content creator known as TheChessNerd. They went after the former world number-eight with an attack on both flanks, unshaken by her attempt to create counterplay around their king.

Champions of Courage and News Navigators held draws against the legendary grandmaster. The news community was unfazed even with Polgar’s forces hovering near their king. Nine-year-old WFM Bodhana Sivanandan , England's youngest ever Olympian, joined the News Navigators in the simul, and she is the one who discovered their key counter-strike, 29...Ne5!

IM Sagar Shah, shared: "It was like Bodhana being there gave us a tremendous amount of confidence."

It was like Bodhana being there gave us a tremendous amount of confidence.

―Sagar Shah

Ever the competitor, the first thought Polgar shared afterward was: “Why did I lose that game [against Zachary Saine's community]?” She went on to share: “Maybe the most interesting game was the News Navigators, but that was with a little help from Bodhana.”

The 4th Educational Chess Summit took place on day two of the festival. Polgar opened the Summit by sharing about the festival's 10-year anniversary:

I was thinking for a long time if I had to describe it in one word, and I think it’s inspirational. That’s why we wanted to have inspiration as a theme at the celebration at the 10th event.

The Summit featured a number of experts sharing their insights on chess and its educational benefits. Senior Lead Instructor for FIDE Education Commission, WIM Anzel Laubscher, shared her ideas to implement her dream of every child in Africa learning chess by age nine by 2030. Her motto is: “When you reach a child, you reach a family. When you reach a family, you can reach a community. Once you reach a community, you can change a nation.”

Psychologist, Educator, and Chess Organizer, Pep Suarez, talked about how chess can benefit from childhood to adulthood. He discussed programs utilizing chess for health, such as one with 1200 participants for preventing age-related cognitive impairment and another for strengthening mental resilience for cancer patients. 

Interviewed by Leontxo Garcia, GM Maurice Ashley shared about the infinite learning opportunities within chess, even for grandmasters: 

I gave a question to some beginners at Chessable where I do these training courses: what is the least amount of material that you need to checkmate a king in the middle of the board? I thought I had the answer, I thought it was seven. One of the absolute beginners, her name was Anya―she's a graphic designer―said: 'Couldn't you just do it with pawns?'

I sat there and I thought about it, and I said: 'Oh, you're right.'

Here, I'm a grandmaster casually lecturing to these lower-rated players and the worst player in the group, who's a graphic designer, saw something else in her head... It's never-ending. We are all just advanced beginners.

We are all just advanced beginners.

―Maurice Ashley

Polgar herself spoke on the magic of chess, sharing her experiences as a child and how chess was her "passport to the world," giving her a reason to travel from a young age. She also concluded the Summit with her insights on the overall event:

I believe there is a need in the world to make changes in education. We talk about it all the time: that it is the government’s mistake, that it is the school director’s mistake, or the teachers themselves are not growing enough and changing with the needs. As a chessplayer, I always learned that your results cannot be gained by blaming others… For all of us, it’s very important to do something.

For all of us, it's very important to do something.

―Judit Polgar

The Global Chess Festival 2024 is Judit Polgar's initiative to share the beauty of chess and connect people through chess-related activities. The legendary GM Judit Polgar faced eight communities (via vote chess) in a simultaneous exhibition. Her opponents included creators and representatives from different fields. 

Previous coverage:

• Chess.com Partners With Legend GM Judit Polgar To Support 2024 Global Chess Festival