budapestbug:

Chess in the water – Szechenyi Baths Budapest

Chess players soaking in the warm outdoor pool of Szechenyi Bath Budapest – probably this is the most shot peculiarity of Szechenyi Bath. A tourist remarked “I think I need to bring pool chess to the US.” You may have heard about some of the Hungarian chess players: Geza Maroczy, Lajosh Portisch, Gyula Sax, Judit Polgar, Peter Leko. Well, they were not trained at Szechenyi Baths, but it is true that chess is a very popular game in Hungary (during socialism there were many chess clubs in schools, so kids started their chess career early).

Well indeed, you will always see some serious chess players at the thermal pool in Szechenyi Baths who are healing their bodies and training their minds. Nobody knows, when this custom has started, but by now chess is plyed in Széchenyi bath more, than 100 years. Mostly players are elderly men, but luckily there seems to be a newer generation aging into pool chess to pass on the tradition. Once Csaba Balogh, international chess grandmaster went to play with the best of the pool chess team. After a couple of nice chess games leaving only kings and pawns on the board, his conclusion was that the most skilled player of the team could easily be a player in the 1st class team of Hungary (Csaba estimated about about 2200 points for the very best player at Szechenyi Baths).