On air with World Chess Champion D Gukesh

It was an early morning flight that we had to catch from Hyderabad and head to Frankfurt. Throughout these years, these early morning (3-4am) flights have become our favorite flights to take for longer distances. Sometimes we leave in a hurry and sometimes we intentionally reach the airport a bit early.

This was the first time that we were travelling to Poland and already very thrilled for what was in store for the next couple of days. We took the Lufthansa flight from Hyderabad to Frankfurt which was a comfortable Boeing 787-9 fondly known as the "Dreamliner" aircraft. It was a nine hour flight and thankfully we had some good rest as we browsed through some entertainment and enjoyed some nice food. We reached Frankfurt on time and then after a three-hour layover it was time for us to catch our flight for Katowice in Poland.

And as we landed, we were greeted by IM Grzegorz Masternak who was kind enough to take us to our hotel. Grzegorz shared his story and also a bit about the event that was set for the next two days and we were already excited. This was our first time in this charming country and the bright and sunny sky already had my attention. We travelled through the beautiful streets of Katowice enjoying the passing by sceneries while enjoying the stories of the chess festivals organised by Mokate Group.

The Mokate Group is supporting the 6th International Chess Festival “Chess in Ustroń Connects Generations” – an event that not only promotes chess as a sport of strategic thinking but also brings together intergenerational and educational communities.

Mokate group have been a long-time promoter of the game of chess as their initiative Mokate and Chess - bringing generations together has hosted some of the top chess players of the world like Garry Kasparov Anatoly Karpov Viswanathan Anand Vasyl Ivanchuk Ruslan Ponomariov and local superstar Jan-Krzysztof Duda. The initiative has not only brought to the spa town of Ustroń the biggest names but also inspired thousands of talents and fans across all ages.

What started on the 30th Anniversary of Mokate group in 2020 is now a well-known tradition and now with this event, Gukesh also becomes a part of it. This has been a personal initiative of Dr. Adam Mokrysz the CEO of the Mokate group and this is what his idea has been-

"Our brand goes hand in hand with chess. This is how we play for new markets and find people who think in the same way. People want to develop and chess helps to do that. This makes them feel they can always come through in the clutch. Chess is an incredible passion. We need to support the royal game because this is how we can take care of the young people."

The Mokate Group is one of the few Polish companies with a multi-generational tradition. Its origins date back to 1900 when members of the Mokrysz family acquired a colonial shop in tMOkrysz-KAzimierz-TEresain what is now the Czech Republic. In 1990, the grandson of the first owner, Kazimierz Mokrysz, handed the company over to his wife, Teresa Mokrysz. At that time, the company changed its name to Mokate, an acronym formed from three words: MOkrysz-KAzimierz-TEresa.

By the time we reached our hotel, it was time for for Gukesh to arrive and our perfectly coordinated arrival let us meet Gukesh and his father. We exchanged some greetings and headed to our room.

The Diament Plaza hotel in Katowice was our official hotel situated at the heart of the city. As we entered our room, we were surprised with some amazing goodies and welcome gifts which was really special and the room and view from the windows was just amazing.

We quickly freshened up quickly and it was time for some local food courtesy of Grzegorz and Lukasz Turlej who were kind enough to introduce us to some local food. I just simply loved the food and as custom, went for a walk before the big day . The match between Jan-Krzysztof Duda and D Gukesh at the historic Kinoteatr Rialto in Katowice, a six game blitz match with the time format of three minutes plus two second increment from move one.

Walking around new places is something we have always cherished, there is so much to observe, learn and experience. Sharing some photos from the walk as we retire to our room and get ready for the next day. Founded in the 16th century, this place is channeling into modernisation with new age construction and high-rise buildings but you can still get some glimpses of the old glory days as you walk around the town.

Day One - The Match.

A sumptuous breakfast was arranged for the local superstar Jan-Krzysztof Duda and D Gukesh along with some dignitaries. Some local favourites were prepared among many other choices.

After the breakfast it was time for the big matchup as we saw hundreds of chess fans and enthusiasts gather to watch the two top players battle it out. Though it was a friendly exhibition match between two players who have worked with each other for the longest time, everyone was expecting to witness an exciting fight.

A quick two game blitz match was arranged before the big match between two of Poland's brightest young talents Patryk Cieslak and Jakub Seemann. The fans enjoyed two fantastically contested blitz games played between the two youngsters.

The youngsters being felicitated after their match

Now it was time for the big moment and the match began and Gukesh started with a win and Jan-Krzysztof immediately equalised in the second game. Though Gukesh created some chances but the former world cup winner and Poland number one proved why he is one of the best in the format and he crushed Gukesh with five wins a row winning the match by a massive score of 5-1.

After the match, the fans got a chance to meet and greet the two players. Even after a long match, the players made sure that each and every fans who came to watch them, gets a chance to meet them.

Gukesh and Duda also met the amazing Tymek Kalata and got to know about his story. A chess fan and enthusiast, Tymek fell in love with chess early on on his life as he learned chess from his father. His favorite player being Magnus Carlsen. Tymek and his family was given one year to raise Polish Zyolty 16.5 million and guess what the community did it. The teenager has been approved for gene therapy in Boston and the treatment can halt the rapidly progressing disease. People from all over the world gathered and made this possible.

You can read more about him here - Tymek Kalata

Then we headed for lunch at the 27th Floor, Courtyard by Marriott Katowice City Center. One interesting thing to note here was the smiles exchanged between Duda and Gukesh as they had some conversation during lunch. It goes to show that off the board they are so professional and have immense respect for each other.

And it was finally time for us to leave Katowice and head to the charming Ustroń which was around an hour of drive away but we were not taking the road as a special ride was waiting for us. A Airbus H130 was waiting at a private airport for us to reach Ustroń. We already felt we were in a movie sequence looking at the helicopter. Later we came to know that the helicopter costs around US$4.0 million.

This was indeed a special ride for Gukesh and his father but as I also got a chance to share the experience with them was something I would cherish forever. Even Keti Tsatsalashvili who has been coordinating the event joined us for the trip.

We flew over Katowice enjoying the stunning areal views and in no time we were greeted with another huge surprise as we reached Ustroń. Fans of Gukesh waited to welcome him and that brought a huge smile on the face of Gukesh. It was a long and tiring day and such a surprise was really special.

A helicopter ride with the world chess champion is not something I could have planned or imagined but will be a part of my core memory and something I would cherish forever.

Day Two - The SImul.

After a nice and comfortable breakfast and walk, the day started early as Gukesh was on his way to visit some local tournaments where they were playing the final rounds of the Ustroń Chess Festival. Gukesh met many fans and also shared some inspiring messages.

Then we visited the Mokate office where we met Mr. Adam Mokrysz, the CEO of the Mokate Group. Adam gave a tour of the office and also gave some insights about the group and also the various range of chess themed products.

And then it was time for the grand simul where eighteen chess enthusiasts gathered to face the eighteenth world chess champion. It was amazing to see that none of the boards finished early and each board had some fighting chance but Gukesh slowly started showing why he is the world champion. Few boards showed immense resistance but Gukesh managed to finish the simul in under two hours and the score 18-0 in favour of the youngster.

After the simul, it was time for the closing ceremony of the Ustroń Chess Festival and the winners of the festival were to be awarded and a special surprise awaited the players and the fans as Gukesh was about to make a small appearance on the stage. And what a moment it was. Hundreds of people cheering for Gukesh as he made his way to the stage and gave a short speech.

Finally it was time for dinner and after how can a day end without a game of chess. Adam Mokrysz requested Gukesh to play a game before he leaves and they sat down to play a game and it turned out to be a really intense one.

The next day morning it was time for me to catch an early morning flight and as I was rushing to get to my cab, I saw Keti and Lukasz waiting to see me off. We returned late last night and it was so heart-warming to see them wait to see me off. We took a nice selfie and that's how one of my favorite event ends.

The love and hospitality of Lukasz, Keti, Grzegorz, Adam Mokrysz, his family, members of Poland Chess federation, the staff of the hotel and all the chess fans and enthusiasts was something so special.

We want to thank Lukasz Turlej for the amazing work that he is doing and for inviting us for the special event.