The fifth edition of the Global Chess Festival founded by Judit Polgar to celebrate the diversity of chess kicked off on October 12 in Hungary’s magnificent capital city Budapest. This year the festival is held in a very special venue, the Hungarian National Gallery, located in the castle district of the city.
The festival is free of charge for all participants. The organizers aim to bring friends and families together to have a memorable experience while playing, learning, and enjoying the rich cultural atmosphere the event provides.
One of the main objectives of the festival is to highlight the diverse nature of chess in four main ways: Chess as a Sport, Chess as a Science, Chess as an Art and Chess as an Educational Tool.
Participants will even have the opportunity of playing in a simultaneous exhibition against the Polgar Sisters on the day of the Future Champions of Europe event.
For the first time at the Chess Connects conference, lecturers provided insight on how science influences modern chess, including chess as an educational tool in the 21st century and the challenges modern chess presents within the context of sport.
Global Chess Festival includes numerous programs (Morgan Stanley Chess Café, Chess Playground, Chess Palace, Promenade, Sweet Art and Craft, Chess Shop, Magical Paintbrush, etc) and several tournaments (Inspiration Cup, Chess Palace Cup, Future Champions of Europe and Chess Challenge).
As always, a number of very special guests are in attendance this year, including FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik.
Arkady Dvorkovich delivered a speech in which he shared his impressions of the festival: “What I saw on the floors here, in the Hungarian National Gallery is amazing and very exciting. Different kids of different ages, with different abilities and interests doing all kinds of things together… Here it is a real combination of art, sport, education, and science and that is what makes it a special, huge event.”
