Olympiad Spotlight: Hungary

This year’s Olympiad is hosted by the beautiful city of Budapest. And since Hungary is the host country, it’s only fitting that we take some time to discuss Hungarian chess.

Hungary has an impressive record in the Olympiad - winning the first two (1927, 1928) and taking silver in the third (1930). Led by Géza Maróczy, inventor of the feared Maróczy bind, they’ve always punched above their weight in team competitions.

Hungary is the 4th most successful country in the Olympiad - which is pretty good, considering only the United States, Russia and the Soviet Union have fared better. That’s not to say their successes are all in the past, either. In 2014, Peter Leko led the team to a silver medal - he returns to the team this year on board 2, with Richard Rapport hoping to lead the team to victory.

GM Peter Leko

Peter Leko is a legend of the game, competing at the very top for almost 20 years. His ultra-solid style earned him a World Championship match with Vladimir Kramnik, which ended in a tie. The rules at the time stated that the Champion kept the title in case of a tie - this was long before rapid or blitz tiebreaks were introduced.

Leko peaked at world #4, with a FIDE rating of 2763. Throughout his career he picked up tournament wins at Wijk aan Zee and many other elite events.

Nowadays, he spends most of his time working as a coach. He has had a long term partnership with German star Vincent Keymer and also helped Ian Nepomniachtchi with his World Championship preparations. You can also often find him in the commentary booth, where his clear excitement and love of chess are sure to inspire you. Of course, he’s also a Chessable author - Super Grandmaster Strategy: Leko’s Ruy Lopez is the perfect way to learn how to play the Ruy Lopez.

This will be his 9th Chess Olympiad and as 9th seeds, Hungary will prove a tough match for any team.

GM Judit Polgar

The greatest female chess player of all time isn’t playing the Olympiad, after retiring in 2014. However, her Global Chess Festival will take place during the event. If you’re in Budapest on the 17th-18th September, be sure to check out the festivities at the 10th Festival, which is packed full of fun events and activities.

There’s not much to say about Judit Polgar that hasn’t been said a million times before, so here are a few small reminders about just how good she was as a chess player:

• When she achieved the title, she was the youngest Grandmaster of all time, beating Fischer’s record 
• She was ranked #55 in the world at age 12 - there are currently zero 12 year olds in the top 1000
• She defeated 11 current or former World Champions

The list can go on but you get the story. She’s Judit Polgar.

Judit has published several Chessable courses, including the Master Your Endgames series with GM Mihail Marin and Master Your Chess with IM Andras Toth.

IM Andras Toth

And speaking of Andras Toth (smooth segue, no notes). If you’ve been on Chessable for any length of time, you’ll be familiar with courses by Andras Toth. The Hungarian-born Australian is one of our most beloved authors. Along with the epic series he created with Judit, he has published the popular Chess Principles Reloaded series, teaching you positional concepts that are crucial to playing well.

Andras is a full time content creator and you can find him streaming regularly on Twitch or check out his unique videos on YouTube. If you’re looking for some great tips about improving your game, check out Coach’s Corner to get some tips from Andras.

GM Richard Rapport

Richard Rapport leads the Hungarian team this year on board 1. Although he’s some way off his peak rating of 2776, the ultra-creative Rapport is a dangerous opponent for anyone. The highest-rated Hungarian of all time has a proven track record for surprising opening ideas, so if you’re looking for some new ideas for your repertoire, you should always keep an eye on his games.

In 2023 he was Ding Liren’s second in the World Championship match against Ian Nepomniachtchi. Rapport’s opening surprises seemed to help Ding Liren to victory, though perhaps their friendship was what inspired Ding to win the match. Either way, they’re both great qualities to have in a team player.

IM Anna Rudolf

Anna Rudolf is best known as a commentator and content creator, with over 200k followers on both YouTube and Twitch. As a commentator, she has covered the biggest events in chess, including this year’s Norway Chess. With a peak rating of 2393, she’s no slouch at the chess board; her aggressive style earning her the nickname Miss Strategy.

If you’re looking to learn how to attack like a machine, Anna’s Anatomy of the Attack: Same-Side Castling is a must-have course.

All courses by Hungarian authors have now been added to our MASSIVE Olympiad sale - including courses by GM Benjamin Gledura and WFM Hanna Ivan-Gal.

Don’t forget that our Olympiad sale includes courses by players on many top teams, with over 300 courses now on sale.  Check it out now.