We imagined what the anniversary festival would be like. We dreamed big, and reality decided to take it even further.
As the organizer of the two-day festival, our foundation prepared more than 20 programs across three venues, aiming to engage the imagination of people of all ages—from 4 to 104—whether die-hard chess fans or casual participants. Thus, we chose INSPIRATION as the central theme.
The 10th Judit Polgár’s Global Chess Festival set a new attendance record: the events attracted more than 6,000 visitors to the Hungarian National Gallery and the BOK Hall. Over the two days (September 17-18), more than 250,000 people joined the online programs.
On September 17 at the Hungarian National Gallery, visitors had the rare opportunity to meet all members of the Polgár family, get autographs from the Polgár sisters and the festival’s honorary patron, Ernő Rubik, and watch live the world’s first hybrid community chess simul, where Judit Polgár played against eight on-site and online communities. These included Hungarian sports legends, representatives of the arts, influencers, and members of the world’s largest chess community, Chess.com. The audience actively participated in the unique Polgár Judit vs. Polgár Zsófia chess game, joined a Rubik’s Cube competition, explored the world of robotics thanks to the festival’s main sponsor, Morgan Stanley, challenged chess masters, and tried Polgár László’s invention, Star Chess. The youngest participants could listen to stories from Judit Polgár’s Chess Palace book series, navigate the Chess Palace Adventure Course, and immerse themselves in skill-development games.
At the gallery, Csilla Őryné Gombás, a school teacher and college professor, and Zsombor Rózsa, a Serbian teacher, chess master and engineer, received the “Goodwill Ambassador of Chess in Education” award. Both are experts of the Judit Polgár Method.
On September 18, at the 4th Educational Chess Summit, 23 international and Hungarian speakers presented how chess can revolutionize education, its positive impact on physical and mental health, and why it works well as a social and intergenerational bridge. The event was a full house at Hotel Intercontinental, with more than 120 education professionals attending the talks and discussions, and 2,500 others joining the live stream.
On the second day of the festival, at the Chess Olympiad venue in the BOK Hall, hundreds of visitors came to our foundation’s stand, where they saw Judit Polgár’s Olympic medals and favorite chess sets on display for the first time. Visitors could also solve chess puzzles, play chess, explore the Chess Palace program adventure courses, and meet chess-themed characters from the Chess Palace stories alongside celebrities and Chess Olympiad participants.
“The magical world of games and puzzles offers a great opportunity for learning. Judit Polgár has explored every nook and cranny of this enchanting world, and she continues to share it with thousands of children. I gladly accepted the invitation to be the patron of the anniversary Chess Festival because nothing could be a more fitting tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Cube than this symbol of learning through play,“ summed up Ernő Rubik.
