WOM cooperation with Global Chess Festival
The FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess is proud to support a brand-new initiative at this year’s Global Chess Festival: the RubikChess Tournament, which will take place on September 30, 2025, at the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest.
Founded by the greatest female chess player of all time, Judit Polgár, the Global Chess Festival has become a worldwide celebration of the game’s cultural and educational power. Since 2014, Judit has built a legacy that continues to inspire millions through her festival, uniting creativity, learning, and the joy of play.
RubikChess tournament
This year, one of the most exciting additions to the program is the RubikChess competition, created in partnership with Ernő Rubik, inventor of the world-famous Rubik’s Cube. The 5-round event will bring together elementary school pupils in mixed teams of one girl and one boy, highlighting the values of gender equality and teamwork in sport.
In this unique format, chess meets the Rubik’s Cube in a dynamic test of both strategy and logic. While one teammate plays blitz chess, the other solves the cube during timed interruptions – the faster solver earning a vital time advantage for their partner on the board. With 50 team spots filled almost immediately, the tournament has already sparked huge enthusiasm among young players.
The event will open with the special presence of Judit Polgár and Ernő Rubik, offering participants the chance to meet two of Hungary’s most iconic innovators.
The Commission is also pleased to share that Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE Women’s Commission, will attend the festival in person. Additionally, during the closing ceremony, the audience will enjoy a performance of Queen’s Trap – an audiovisual project by Juga, created in cooperation with our Commission to celebrate women in chess.
Talent knows no gender
We are excited to see the RubikChess Tournament come to life this year. It offers young minds a wonderful opportunity to experience values that go beyond the game — inclusion, equality, and the understanding that different talents, when combined, can lead to greater results for the team.
This commitment is also reflected beyond the tournament itself. As the Global Chess Festival highlights on its website, two special portraits by Spanish artist Nistal Mayorga will be exhibited side by side – one of a man, one of a woman – to honor iconic figures of chess and to remind us of a powerful truth: “talent knows no gender.”
The FIDE Women’s Commission is delighted to contribute to this inspiring initiative and looks forward to seeing its positive impact on the next generation of players.
