The official song of 45th Chess Olympiad is out!

The Chess Olympiad, the largest global chess event, will be hosted by Budapest between 10 and 23 September. Zeneszöveg.hu and Artisjus organised an international songwriting camp where participants wrote songs to honor this prestigious event. One of these songs, written by Rose May and Raul, has been selected as the official song of the Chess Olympiad.

Chess is coming home to Hungary in September—this sport has been highly popular here since its beginnings. It’s not only pro players that are involved in the most noble game of intellect—many Hungarian historical figures loved this game, including Ferenc Deák, Lajos Kossuth and Frigyes Karinthy. Some composers were also avid chess players—Ferenc Erkel composer, for example, was really passionate about chess and played whenever he could.

This year Zeneszöveg.hu cooperated with Artisjus to organize a camp where music and chess met. Composers, lyricists and producers from nine countries came to spend three days in the camp to work with their Hungarian colleagues and create songs inspired by the 45th Chess Olympiad. From these songs, Trojan War by Rose May and Raul has been selected as the official song of the 45th Chess Olympiad by the Hungarian Chess Federation and the National Event Management Agency, the Hungarian organizers of this grand event.

ROSE MAY & RAUL – TROJAN WAR – Official song for Chess Olympiad 2024 (youtube.com)

This is a modern song with elements of pop and drum and bass, and its dynamic character evokes the excitement of chess games. Rose May and Raul’s song also has a video clip. With a special visual character and riveting storytelling, the clip, just like the song, features motifs of chess and speaks about love and strategy.

Rose May’s debut as a singer-songwriter was in the autumn of 2023, when, along with BÖBE, P.Y.F.U., Brenka and others, she was featured on Toldyuuso’s album, SESSION_01. Her first album came out in 2023. Raul rose to fame in 2011, when he created a number of songs and clips with Tamás Horváth, which have become immensely popular since.

Legendary players and rising stars from all over the world are coming to the 45th Chess Olympiad. The venue is the BOK Sports and Conference Centre, and the competition will be accompanied by an expo. The expo will offer a number of chess-related activities, bringing the sport closer to people of all ages. You can follow the games live, with professional commentators helping those who are less knowledgeable about chess, and the Hungarian Chess Federation is organizing a number of activities. All events and activities of the expo are free.