The chess world is once again coming together in Budapest for the 12th Judit Polgar Global Chess Festival, a celebration of chess, creativity, education and the many ways the game can connect people of all ages and backgrounds.
The FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess is delighted to be partnering with the festival for the second time, continuing a collaboration that brings together two shared goals: celebrating chess and creating new, engaging opportunities for players and enthusiasts to participate in the game.
Founded by chess legend Judit Polgar, the Global Chess Festival has become a unique annual event where chess meets culture, education, art, technology and innovative forms of play. Each year, the festival offers visitors the opportunity to experience chess beyond the traditional tournament hall – and this year, that spirit takes a particularly creative form.
Chess Meets the Rubik’s Cube
One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the RubikChess Tournament, taking place today, Saturday, September 26, at the Hungarian National Gallery.
Organised for the first time as a tournament open to the general public, RubikChess brings together two iconic Hungarian inventions and two very different skills: the strategic thinking of chess and the speed and spatial problem-solving of the Rubik’s Cube.
The tournament is organised in cooperation with the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, with the support of Rubik’s, and is aimed at enthusiastic amateur cubers and chess players with a maximum 1800 Elo rating.
The format is a unique team competition. Teams of two will compete over five rounds, with one player taking their place at the chessboard while their teammate solves a 3×3 Rubik’s Cube. Before every round, the teammates decide who will take on each challenge – meaning that strategy and teamwork begin even before the first chess move or the first turn of the cube.
Success will require more than chess knowledge or solving speed alone. Quick decision-making, coordination, communication and teamwork will all play a part.
The organisers will provide the chess sets and 3×3 Rubik’s Cubes, leaving participants to bring their skills, their teammate and their enthusiasm.
The tournament opens with a special welcome at 13:45, in the presence of Sofia Polgar and Ernő Rubik, before the competition gets underway.
Celebrating Women in Chess
As part of its support for the event, the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess is particularly pleased to offer a special prize for the best female player.
The prize is part of a wider set of awards celebrating participants across generations and levels of experience. Every participant will receive a certificate, while the top six teams will receive prize packages. Special prizes will also recognise the oldest and youngest participants.
The inclusion of a dedicated award for the best female player reflects the Commission’s commitment to encouraging women and girls to participate in chess in all its form – including innovative formats that bring new audiences and communities into the game.
A Festival of Possibilities
The Judit Polgar Global Chess Festival has always been about showing that chess can be much more than a game played across a 64-square board. It can be a tool for education, a meeting point for communities, a source of creativity and a platform for bringing people together.
RubikChess captures that philosophy perfectly. By combining chess with the Rubik’s Cube, the tournament offers participants a completely new challenge while highlighting skills that are familiar to both disciplines: concentration, pattern recognition, problem-solving, speed and the ability to make decisions under pressure.
For the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, being part of the festival for a second time is a wonderful opportunity to continue building connections and supporting initiatives that make chess more inclusive, creative and accessible.
