Hungary has one of the longest chess histories of any nation. At the first official Chess Olympiad in 1927, and again in 1928, the Hungarian team took gold. Playing first board was Géza Maróczy, who in 1950 became one of the first players ever awarded the grandmaster title by FIDE. He coached Vera Menchik, the first ever women's world chess champion, and his "Maróczy Bind," a pawn structure still used in competitive chess today, bears his name more than a century later.
Then came the Polgár sisters. László Polgár, a Hungarian teacher, raised three daughters, Zsuzsa, Zsófia and Judit, to become world-class chess players from childhood. In 1988 and 1990, all three played together as part of the national women's team, winning Olympic gold on both occasions. Judit went on to become the strongest female chess player of all time.
In 2024, Budapest hosted the Chess Olympiad. The city has always been close to the centre of this game.
This November, it takes on something new. Magnus Carlsen and the world's other elite players will gather at the Anantara New York Palace Hotel for the Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot, running from 10 to 21 November 2026. The hotel is one of the most striking buildings in Budapest, home to the New York Café, which has been open since 1894 and was for decades one of Europe's most celebrated meeting places for writers, artists and intellectuals.
It is an absolute honour for Budapest to host the Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot and welcome so many of the world's finest players. Having served as Chief Organiser of the 2024 Budapest Chess Olympiad, I understand the value that events of this calibre bring to the global chess community. We are proud that Budapest has once again been chosen as the stage for a landmark moment in the sport.
— Dr. Zoltán Polyánszky, President, Hungarian Chess Federation