Global Chess Festival & Chess Challenge Tournament 2023

The 2023 Global Chess Festival is taking place over the weekend 14th-15th October, with variety of events held in person and online. The events scheduled for 14th of October will be held in the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest, while the events on the 15th of October take place online.

The rich programme will start with the Chess Challenge Tournament organized by Judit Polgar Chess Foundation and the European Chess Union. The event is open to unrated players and those with a maximum of 1900 blitz ELO points, and will be played in 5 rounds, swiss system, with time control of 8 minutes per player + 3 seconds increment for each move. Due to venue capacity, spots are limited.

Every participant of the tournament will be honored with a certificate while the first six runner-ups will receive a gift pack. There will be motivational prizes for the best female player, best junior girl (U16), the youngest and the oldest players.  

ECU offers to winners (best junior and best girl U1900 ) two scholarships at its annual #Chess Academy

In addition to the excitement and challenge of the game, the tournament has a special surprise in store for girls and women participating: Judit Polgar, will hold a free online chess lesson with a Q&A session for them at a later date. 

Detailed information about the event can be found here.

Programme for the 14th of October (Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest):

• 10:30 – 13:30 Chess Challenge 
  Chess competition in cooperation with the Judit Polgar Chess Foundation and the European Chess Union (ECU). Girls, forward! Registration until 10 October.
• 10:30 – 14:00 School subjects through chess
  What may come as a surprise is that you can also study some school subjects through chess. Give it a try!
•  10:30 – 17:30 Chess Palace Fun
  The Chess Palace programme is celebrating its 10th anniversary. To mark this special milestone, we have prepared delightful surprises for kids from age 4.
• 10:30 – 17:30 Code-quest
  Learn the basics of programming through Alphacademy’s innovative, discovery-based approach to education. Children aged 8-13 are welcome. 
• 10:30 – 17:00 Morgan Stanley Chess Lounge
  Challenge a master, listen to passages from Judit Polgár’s new children’s book, team up for a game of giant chess with family and friends, or relax.
• 10:30 – 17:00 ChessWalk
  Gallery area. Solve chess puzzles or Chess Olympiad quizzes along the way, depending on your age. You need a Smartphone. 
• 10:30 – 13:00 Simul with Sofia Polgar & Yona Kosashvili
  Sofia and Yona will form a team, taking turns in moves in each round, but they won’t be allowed to communicate with each other. Decision-making parallels, harmony, and gameplay.
• 11:00 – 15:00 Morgan Stanley Lego Robotics
  Introducing the basics of scratch programming with the help of Morgan Stanley volunteers and Lego robots. Recommended above ages 8.
• 11:00 – 12:00 Storytelling (in Hungarian)
  Enjoy Judit Polgár’s latest book! Chess Palace – The Rook’s Adventures. Read and play!
• 11:30 – 12:00 Book signing 
  Chess Palace – The Rook’s Adventures. Brand new book by Judit Polgár. 
• 12:30 – 13:30 Chess Artistry Adventure
  Enjoy chess composition masterpieces from exceptional international composers, in celebration of Pal Benko’s legacy.
• 13:00 Book signing with Judit and Sofia
  Judit Polgár & her sister Sofia signing their newly released books!
  Chess Palace – The Rook’s Adventures, by Judit Polgár.
  Amazing Artist – Dangerous Tactician, by Sofia Polgár
• 14:00 The Grand Decision Game
  The Global Chess Festival’s first community chess duel involving the audience and international chess champions. What is the next move? You decide… 
• 15:00 – 17:30 Simul with Judit Polgár
  If you were lucky with the draw, you can challenge the greatest female chess player in history, Judit Polgár. 
• 15:00 – 17:30 Influencer Chess
  Meet, ask and play with Hungary’s top two online chess influencers and coaches! 
• 15:30 – 17:30 DragonChess
  A new piece with superpower? Let’s try dragonchess and meet its creator, Miguel Illescas!  

Online events scheduled for October 15th: Educational Chess Summit, and Chess Triathlon will be broadcasted live through the Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival YouTube.

Detailed information about the Global Chess Festival 2023 can be found here.