♟️ About MTK Budapest – Chess Section

MTK Budapest – Chess Section (MTK Budapest Sakkszakosztály) is one of Hungary’s historic chess organizations and forms part of Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre, the Budapest multisport club founded in 1888. The chess section combines elite team competition, junior development, international tournament organization, coaching, and opportunities for club players of different ages and strengths. MTK has been connected with many of the most important names in Hungarian chess history. Its past players include World Championship Candidate Lajos Portisch, Grandmasters László Szabó, András Adorján, Győző Forintos, and Levente Lengyel, as well as numerous Hungarian champions, Olympians, and international masters. Today, MTK Budapest again operates one of the largest chess programmes in Hungary. Its leading adult team competes in the Hungarian Superliga, while additional teams participate in NB I, NB II, Budapest team competitions, and youth championships. The section also organizes FIDE-rated international tournaments at the modern MTK Sportpark. WGM IA Tünde Csonkics has led the chess section since 2024. A multiple Chess Olympiad medalist and experienced International Arbiter, she oversees the club’s competitive programme, player development, and international tournament activity.

📜 Historic Chess Tradition

The chess history associated with MTK reaches deep into the development of Hungarian team chess. After the Hungarian Chess Federation introduced the national team championship system following the Second World War, MTK became one of the country’s strongest clubs. During the period from 1950 to 1968, the national championship was dominated by two organizations: Vörös Meteor won sixteen titles, while MTK captured the championship in the two remaining seasons. During different political and organizational periods, the club competed under several names, including Textiles, Budapesti Bástya, and Vörös Lobogó. A major turning point came in 1975, when MTK and Vörös Meteor merged. The resulting MTK-VM assembled an extraordinary group of Hungarian chess players and became one of the strongest chess sections of its era. This merger brought together players who had already written important chapters of Hungarian chess history and created a club structure capable of competing at the highest national level.

⭐ Legendary Players

MTK’s historical player list includes several figures who rank among the most important Hungarian chess players of the twentieth century. GM Lajos Portisch became one of the world’s leading players and an eight-time World Championship Candidate. He won the Hungarian Championship nine times and represented Hungary in twenty Chess Olympiads. Portisch was also a member of the Hungarian team that won the gold medal at the 1978 Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires, ending the Soviet Union’s long period of Olympiad dominance. GM András Adorján was another member of that historic 1978 team. He became a World Championship Candidate and one of Hungary’s most respected grandmasters, authors, and chess theoreticians. Three-time World Championship Candidate GM László Szabó, together with GM Levente Lengyel and GM Győző Forintos, further strengthened the club’s extraordinary connection with Hungarian chess history. Former MTK player Judit Polgár, widely regarded as the strongest female chess player of all time, is another major name connected with the club’s chess tradition.

♟️ Revival of the Chess Section

The modern revival of MTK Budapest’s chess section created a renewed pathway from junior chess to Hungary’s highest adult team competition. Grandmaster Gábor Kállai served as President and Head Coach of the revived section until his death in 2021. During this period, MTK rebuilt its competitive structure and progressed rapidly through the Hungarian team leagues. International Master János Szabolcsi also played an important role in junior development. Under the renewed programme, MTK became one of Hungary’s leading clubs for youth chess while its senior team advanced toward the top national division. From 2024, leadership of the section passed to WGM Tünde Csonkics. The club states that it currently has the largest number of registered chess players of any sports club in Hungary, reflecting the scale to which the revived programme has grown.

🏆 Hungarian Team Championships

MTK Budapest maintains several teams within Hungary’s national and Budapest chess league systems. The club’s strongest team competes in the Superliga, the highest division of the Hungarian team championship. Its development has not stopped with the first team. For the 2025/26 season, MTK fielded teams across the Superliga, NB I, and NB II, making it the only Budapest chess organization at the time to qualify teams for all three leading national divisions. Additional MTK teams compete in the Budapest Team Championship and youth competitions, giving players of different strengths opportunities to represent the club. The structure therefore allows promising juniors and developing adult players to progress through different competitive levels rather than relying on a single elite team.

🧒 Youth Chess & Player Development

Junior development is a central part of the modern MTK chess programme. The club operates several youth teams and regularly sends players to Hungarian age-group championships, rapid and blitz championships, Budapest junior competitions, and international youth events. MTK has achieved strong results across different youth age categories. Its young players have earned national titles and medals, while the club’s teams regularly compete for leading positions in Hungarian junior competitions. The club’s first team in the 2025 Budapest Youth Team Championship finished second, only half a point behind the winner. MTK entered three teams in the 22-team competition. Training is designed to give talented players a route from junior competition into adult league chess. Several younger MTK players already compete alongside titled and experienced players in the club’s senior teams.

🌍 Chess Olympiad Representation

MTK Budapest was strongly represented during the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Three players from the chess section — Zsuzsanna Terbe, Lili Tóth, and Ágoston Juhász — competed at the Olympiad. The club was also represented among the tournament officials. Benjamin Kemény, Attila Balla, and Tünde Csonkics worked as arbiters during the event. In addition, Ármin Juhász was invited to work as a specialist commentator. Having players, arbiters, and a commentator involved in the same Olympiad illustrates the breadth of expertise within the MTK chess programme.

🌍 European Club Cup

MTK Budapest also represents Hungarian club chess internationally. The team competed in the 2025 European Chess Club Cup in Rhodes, Greece, where 96 teams and almost 700 players took part in the Open competition. MTK entered the event ranked 16th but produced a strong performance across seven rounds. The team was led by Grandmaster Viktor Erdős, while other members included Ágoston Juhász, Bence Pribelszky, Levente Papp, Ármin Juhász, Lázár Mátyássy, and other leading club players. MTK finished the European Club Cup in 12th place, exceeding its starting position. The result demonstrated that the revived chess section was capable of competing successfully not only within Hungary but also against leading European club teams.

🏆 Forintos Győző Memorial

One of MTK Budapest’s most important new international projects is the Forintos Győző Memorial, created in memory of Hungarian Grandmaster Győző Forintos. Forintos was closely connected with MTK and belonged to the generation of outstanding Hungarian players who represented the club during its strongest historical period. The inaugural memorial was held at MTK Sportpark in December 2025. It was designed as a major international classical tournament combining norm opportunities with an open rating event. The programme included three GM round-robin groups, one IM group, and a U2250 Open. Players arrived from approximately 14 countries, including Hungary, India, Germany, Ireland, England, Australia, Ukraine, Georgia, Spain, Japan, Zambia, Malaysia, and Canada. Around twenty MTK players participated alongside international competitors. The tournament attracted established Grandmasters and promising young players and became an important addition to Budapest’s long tradition of international norm tournaments.

🌟 2nd Forintos Győző Memorial 2026

The memorial returns with its second edition from December 14–22, 2026 at MTK Sportpark. The tournament programme consists of GM-A, GM-B, IM, and U2200 competitions. The GM and IM tournaments are ten-player round robins structured to provide international classical competition and potential title-norm opportunities when the final field meets the applicable FIDE requirements. The U2200 competition uses a nine-round Swiss system and provides a pathway for developing players who want to gain international tournament experience and improve their FIDE Standard rating. All competitions are FIDE rated. The classical time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remainder of the game, with a 30-second increment from move one. WGM IA Tünde Csonkics serves as Tournament Director, while IA GM Csaba Horváth is Chief Arbiter. The continuation of the memorial demonstrates MTK’s intention to establish the tournament as a recurring international event rather than a one-time commemorative competition.

🏟️ MTK Sportpark

The chess section is based at the modern MTK Sportpark, located at Kerepesi út 17, 1087 Budapest. The new sports complex officially opened in 2025 and provides facilities for several MTK disciplines together with spaces suitable for competitions, training, and larger events. For chess, the Sportpark gives MTK a permanent modern base capable of hosting club activity and substantial international tournaments. The inaugural Forintos Győző Memorial demonstrated this capability by accommodating several parallel GM and IM round robins alongside an Open tournament. The venue is located close to Puskás Aréna, Papp László Budapest Sportaréna, and Arena Mall, with convenient access to public transport and accommodation options in Budapest.

👤 WGM IA Tünde Csonkics

Tünde Csonkics is the Head of the MTK Budapest Chess Section and the principal contact for its international tournament programme. As a player, she earned the Woman Grandmaster title and represented Hungary successfully at international level. Csonkics won Chess Olympiad silver medals in 1980 and 1994, together with a bronze medal in 1982. She was also part of the Hungarian team that finished fourth at the 1992 Olympiad. At her competitive peak in 1990, she was ranked approximately 12th–14th among the world’s leading female players. Alongside her playing career, she became an International Arbiter and has worked extensively in tournament organization and officiating. She has also served as a member of the FIDE Social Commission. Since taking leadership of MTK’s chess section in 2024, Csonkics has overseen its large player programme, national team activity, youth development, European competition, and international tournament organization.

🌱 Competitive & Community Chess

MTK Budapest does not restrict its activities to elite players. The chess section openly welcomes players of all ages and playing strengths, including people who want structured competitive development as well as those interested in chess as a recreational activity. This broad membership model is supported by multiple league teams, junior programmes, coaching, club competition, and international events. At the top of the structure, players can progress toward Superliga and international competition. At the same time, younger and developing players have access to age-group events, Budapest leagues, national divisions, and FIDE-rated tournaments. The combination of historical prestige, modern facilities, a large player base, and renewed international tournament activity makes MTK Budapest one of the important chess organizations in contemporary Hungarian club chess.