Chess Playground with the Polgar Sisters

The fifth Aquaprofit-Polgar Chess Day, held November 19, 2011, was the biggest such event ever. The world famous Polgar sisters, who are dedicated to popularizing the sport of chess, offered 2500 visitors a fun-filled and thought-provoking event. Each year, organizers of the increasingly popular Chess Day, which has become a family event, offer new activities that help to popularize the game. This year, too, notable public figures were in attendance. The day began with a chess class taught by the Polgar sisters – at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. After the lessons came the show: a live chess game, in which the pieces were real people, dressed in costumes by renowned designer Marta Makany. The King and Queen for the black team were played by Judit Polgar and Tamas Nadasi, president of Aquaprofit Zrt. Their soldiers fought bravely to defend the Land of the Pearl of the Night.

More than 100 children participated in the youth tournament. As a highlight of the event’s press conference, former world champion Garry Kasparov – participating via Skype – answered questions from participants. Kasparov sent his greetings, expressed enthusiasm for Chess Day, and said he would be happy to participate in a future Chess Day. Following the press conference, Judit Polgar played against a VIP team – and beat them while blindfolded.

A few lucky participants had the chance to play rapid games against the Polgars. Afterwards, Judit and Sofia played against each other, using chess figures made of chocolate and marzipan. Whoever captured an opponent’s piece could eat it.

In the final event of the day, the Polgar sisters took on 100 challengers in simultaneous matches. The challengers included famous Hungarian personalities. Meanwhile, onlookers could also observe artist Andras Gyorfi at work, who created a painting while the simultaneous games were underway.

Once again, the Aquaprofit-Polgar Chess Day was a great success in promoting the popularity of chess.