The man who brought Chess, Business and Government together in Poland - Lukasz Turlej
In the heart of Warsaw, following the conclusion of a star-studded super tournament Super Rapid and Blitz 2026 which is part of the Grand Chess Tour, we sat down with Lukasz Turlej, the Secretary General of FIDE and a pivotal figure in the Polish chess. From organizing major championships on short notice to building a bridge between the sport and the world of business and government, Lukasz has been at the forefront of a booming chess culture in Poland. We speak to him about varied subjects in this interview and try to understand his vision for chess.
Interview with Lukasz Turlej on the streets of Warsaw
Sagar Shah (SS): Lukasz, we are here in the streets of Warsaw and we just finished the super rapid and blitz. How are you feeling that such a huge super tournament has come to an end. You played a big role in making this happen?
Lukasz Turlej (LT): It was already the 5th edition, so I am very happy that these tournaments are happening in Poland. Absolutely top level of players, very competitive this time - the world champion, the winner of the Candidates, two Polish players which is so important - and at the end, the star of Netflix is winning. The media were interested not only because of chess but also because of other aspects. We have so many things prepared for players and for spectators every year and because of this I think so many people are visiting. On the last day, 500 people were live in the audience.
SS: And how did this event begin in Poland because I think it's such an important part of now the chess culture here. I see so many people coming, so many fans being so excited and people are so happy to have this event here.
LT: Chess culture in Poland is very strong. There are so many people playing: smaller clubs, bigger clubs, tournaments for amateurs, for professionals. For many years we have been organizing European championships in different categories. Poland is the home of these tournaments I would say because Katowice, Warsaw, and Wroclaw all are great venues. We were having these tournaments with more than 1000 people.
But there was no super tournament. There was a huge group of people who were looking for this kind of events and we also had institutional help. So basically around 10 years ago we started to organize very big tournaments. In 2021 we had the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Warsaw that was done at very short notice. I remember Magnus versus Nepo was going on in Dubai and everyone was confused where it would happen, and then it happened in Poland.
SS: I think the fact that you were doing more and more events, more and more people were playing in tournaments. There was institutional help so the whole environment between chess community, sponsors and institutional help from Government was nicely shaping up, yes?
LT: It's just easier to propose the next project. I believe that this is the way to do things and this has been functioning here for already many years. This is why we are reaching higher and higher with every new project; it was a kind of a ground for new ideas and new projects which we are preparing.
SS: You know when this tournament was happening I was amazed at first of all how involved Superbet and the Super Foundation was but also what was very interesting to see on the last day, the finance minister also came. It's like a perfect set up of private organization as well as the government being involved and to make this happen is not very common in any country.
LT: I think we have so many chess people involved in important roles in our society. Politicians, actors, influencers, and people from other sports who love to play chess, but very often, being very busy with their work, they don't have that much time to organize some tournament by themselves. But when you are proposing to them something interesting, something which is attracting many people and media attention is there, they love to join.
In this tournament, when we reached again to our finance minister, he was very happy to find in his very busy schedule the time to come twice. Earlier he met with Judit Polgar and they played a game, and then he came for the final day for the first move. He watched two games during the final day and I think also for everyone who is both playing and attending the event, it shows we are at the top event not only of chess but of sport in Poland.
SS: Amazing and you know recently I was in Katowice and there the European individual was happening as well as there was an educational conference that was taking place and you played a role in organizing that and now this is happening so actually speaking you are involved in many many big major events that are happening in and around Poland and Europe.
LT: Yes, I believe what is very important is to have the new ideas but to build the team, build the group of partners who want to cooperate, and this is what we are trying to do here in Poland. The first international events were very small organizing committees until we were building some cooperation with business. Now this group of people and institutions who want to do something is so big that one or two tournaments per year is not enough. Very often we are being asked, "What is next? What can we do together?"
This last month it was a super busy period. For me, it is very important that people connected with chess are meeting and discussing things; this is what is happening in every other industry. You see lawyers meeting, doctors meeting - many different professions discussing new technologies and new approaches to organizing events or selling their products - so this conference was very, very important. We had people from different backgrounds, experts from chess, almost 20 people from outside the country, and different panels. In one round table, we had the deputy mayor of Katowice, the mayor of another city, and owners of very big businesses discussing by themselves what they should do because they want to do more in chess.
SS: That was an insane panel. So there was I think GM Jacek who is an auditor, the government's chief auditor.
LT: Yes, in the same panel with the mayors and representatives of business, there was Jacek Gdański, a Grandmaster who is the president of the Polish Agency of Audit Oversight. It only shows that people who were very successful in chess can have this dual career; you can be successful in chess as a young player and then proceed with a career in the public or private sector, both in Poland and worldwide. I see so many examples and I'm very happy because of this, but it also gives a kind of question mark to chess people: are we approaching these successful people to join and do something together?
Sometimes you can organize VIP tournaments, which also happened during the European individuals. People who are in interesting positions - doing things for the country, for business, or for authorities - can meet and play together. Maybe they will do some cooperation or business; we'll be very happy seeing this because probably they will stay with chess and their connection with chess will be stronger.
SS: So you are someone who is kind of enabling these things to happen because when you said that events are happening and people want to invest into it, it's not very common that such a scenario happens, it's rather the other way. There are people who want to do events but are not finding sponsors and so here this very fact that there are businesses like let's say Mokate, the Superbet or this government support, I think there's a need for someone to constantly think on how to provide value to them and I think that is something that you are always thinking about, yes?
LT: Yes, building the network and providing opportunities is something that is not happening that much in chess. Very often we are thinking about organizing tournaments - providing chess boards, tables, and arbiters - which is the core of the business, of course. We need to do it, otherwise we would not have a proper tournament, but to make sure that the whole structure is growing, we need to build the network of people who want to help. We should just look at what is happening in other sports which are very successful and just repeat certain scenarios.
We have an amazing tool in our hands. With some sports, people complain about supporters misbehaving, but with chess, everyone says "Yes, let's bring more chess into schools, let's have more chess tournaments." This positive image of the King's game is very useful when you are starting the conversation. Everything happening around The Queen's Gambit, the movie about Judit Polgar, and the recent Netflix movie is bringing a lot of attention. It's easier to start the conversation, but for bringing more and more people, we need more and more professional events. Often you have an event in a sport hall, but even if you're passing by 10 meters from the entrance, you have no idea that it's happening. This requires additional investment, but in our case, it is paying off well. And this is why we can organize more interesting projects.
SS: Very interesting thoughts. Lukasz, what is your background mainly because you are a strong chess player- your peak rating was close to 2300?
LT: A bit lower, but on online platforms I am reaching 2500. I studied international trade and event management. I was a chess player from an early age, but the first events we were organizing back then were for the university sport union. We were organizing events in volleyball and football on the national, international, and university level, including European and world championships. With these tournaments we built the skills and a very nice group of people who were helping each other.
To organize chess tournaments, if you take only people from chess, it's not that easy to build a department of volunteers for bigger events. You need the skills of working with volunteers, not exactly 2300-2400 players. This was successful in the first years and now we have a group of people who know what to do in every department.
SS: Amazing and so from there you had these skills and you also loved chess yeah? You played a lot of chess when you were young.
LT: Yes, I think even now I'm playing too many games, but it helps to concentrate. I don't have time to play classical tournaments - I would love to maybe one day come back because I miss it - but I play some blitz. We are organizing many events which are encouraging new groups of people to join: events for journalists, events for business, and these VIP chess evenings. I think everyone in their cities and communities can organize something like this.
We are in Warsaw and for already a couple of years we have had the business chess league organized together with the Warsaw School of Economics, with the personal involvement of the rector of the school. It's being played in the beautiful library; so many companies and institutions join and play chess once per month. It's an amazing opportunity for networking.
SS: That's amazing that's so nice that such avenues exist in chess because it's so difficult otherwise for the stakeholders to meet so it's brilliant.
LT: Yes, and we need to work on sharing best practices in the chess world. When I'm traveling, I see wonderful ideas by national federations and clubs, but often we are not hearing about them. I think your role is very important to show these smaller parts of events so people can get inspired. What was happening here in Warsaw could be done somewhere in Asia. Organizers of the very top events follow what is happening worldwide, and often initiatives at smaller events - using new technologies and AI for marketing - can be brought and adjusted to the chess environment.
SS: And how did you become part of FIDE? You are now the secretary general and that is something that has happened over the years so how did your involvement in FIDE begin?
LT: It began in 2018. In 2017, we organized the European Blitz and Rapid Championships in Poland. It was the biggest event of the European Chess Union with almost 1400 people. We invested a lot in promotion and somehow there were talks about potential involvement in politics. I was never considering myself as a politician; I was always happy to build a group of people and do something together. However, you see best practices and you want to put them in action to make the life of chess people better. I joined the FIDE Council as a Vice President in 2018, and since 2022 I have been the Secretary General. I am also very happy to connect these international activities with the development of chess in Poland, because when your roots are strong, you can do big things internationally.
SS: Like for example you having developed this kind of network in Poland and then suddenly there is an opportunity to organize the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz in 2021 because you were part of FIDE. And then combining the two, you were able to make it happen in Poland, yes?
LT: Yes, building this network between people who are doing interesting things in their countries and looking for international projects is very important. When the opportunity to do something comes, you know whom to call. In the case of the Rapid and Blitz in 2021, we were in Dubai for the Carlsen-Nepo match when the news came that the originally planned federation might not be able to organize it. Because it was still the COVID season, the access to information and immediately analyzing it - like in a chess game to try to make the best move - was our approach.
SS: Amazing and what have been some of your most cherished projects that you have done in the last few years?
LT: Tournaments like European and World championships are very important and very much seen, but one project that I am very proud of is bringing world champions to Poland. We are cooperating with Mokate, the biggest partner of Polish chess, and since 2020 there is a huge festival in the Polish mountains called the Ustroń Chess Festival. The guest of honor is always a world champion - we have had Kasparov, Vishy Anand, Vasily Ivanchuk, Ruslan Ponomariov, and last year Gukesh.
When Gukesh was coming, we decided to make a Blitz match between him and Duda in a theater. It was amazing that at 10 am during the summer holiday season, all the seats were taken. In the evening before, so many important people were calling to see if it was possible to get one more ticket. I am very proud that people from outside the chess community are finding this as something very interesting entertainment. Also, the World Cup in Goa was amazing. The winner of that tournament is now going to face Gukesh.
SS: Yes that was incredible that in Goa you were there and Indian chess that was a big moment for us as well to have that World Cup there.
LT: There is a big group of people and agencies in India which are taking very professional care of organizing events. ChessBase India is seen as a media agency, but I have seen from close up the professional agency which is able to prepare this beautiful branding together with the federation. It was surely top-notch levels of organization.
SS: Lukasz from all the conversations we have had it feels like your schedule is packed... very busy schedule that you have and amidst all of this you have now decided to also run for European chess union presidentship - isn't it like you will have too much to do? You also have a chess club that you run in Katowice, right?
LT: Right now so many things are happening. You mentioned the club - I am very proud of running the club in Katowice. We have a group of people running it as volunteers and it is one of the biggest in Poland. We have two world champions in the youth categories, Jakub Seemann and Patryk Cieślak. One is already a Grandmaster and the second will become one very soon. It gives me so much joy to build this structure around them so they can reach their goals and inspire new generations.
But what we are doing in Poland - connecting tournaments, events, conferences, and building the environment between business, chess, and government - I am sure there is huge potential on the European level. We have decided to build a very strong team with different kinds of experience -successful chess organizers and people from business - to put the offer on the table. The elections will happen on 18th of July, and I am very optimistic because changes are needed. In the last seven years where chess is booming worldwide, on the European level there is still so much to be done and we cannot miss this opportunity. So far on the European level, no one is approaching top potential sponsors.
I am running for President and the Deputy President candidate is Roman Mužić, the main organizer and sponsor of the Prague International Chess Festivals.
World Champion Gukesh played at the Prague International Chess Festival this year
What I love is that they have a "Futures" group next to the top players for kids under 12 and 14
This year they had all girls, and one of those girls won in a simul against top Grandmasters just a week ago
Roman is also the owner of the Novy Bor team
We have Gunnar Bjornsson, the organizer of the Reykjavik Open for many years and the World Fischer Random Championship. He has a lot of experience and clear ideas about what he wants to do on the European level.
There is Katrin Apol from the Faroe Islands who has been involved for many years with the federation. She brings the angle of understanding how chess is organized in smaller federations - Faroe Islands has only 55,000 people but they do very nice things.
We have Alojzije Janković, a Grandmaster from Croatia who is very successful in marketing and media and has his own program on national TV. He connects people from other sports; for example, I met some top Croatian people from tennis and a player from Crystal Palace (Football League) who is a very good chess player (1900-2000 rating).
And we have Jonathan O'Connor from Ireland, whose experience as a federation president and in IT brings ready solutions that we want to implement. He has this energy to talk to everyone and build long-standing connections with people in their clubs and communities.
SS: In a way if you look at your team you found people who've done really good work in their own country and then you brought them together now to sort of serve a bigger region.
LT: Yes, this is what we are calling the synergy. All of them are involved in international structures and already know a lot of people. This is the perfect recipe for success on the European level.
The calendar is fully packed with many travels and meetings, but I am very much looking forward to it. It is an amazing time when you're meeting with people, preparing projects, and discussing what is happening in different countries. This is what we should be doing more and more.
SS: Amazing well thank you so much Lukasz for your time for discussing your journey of chess and I wish you all the best for bringing more and more value to the world of chess
LT: Thank you, we'll do our best to deliver the best projects and interesting cooperation in the upcoming years. Thank you.
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