Chess & Mates

What an incredible 4th edition of the Chess & Mates Festival!

We are extremely grateful to all our partners and sponsors who made this edition possible. Your trust and support allow us to keep pursuing our mission: making chess more accessible, social and inspiring, and bringing people together around the chessboard. ❤️

A special thank you to De Denksportkampioen: https://www.denksportkampioen.be/ , our trusted chess equipment partner, for providing all the chess material for the tournaments. With hundreds of players taking part throughout the day, their support was essential in making everything run smoothly. ♟️

We are also very grateful to Prime Minister Bart De Weverfor attending the festival and supporting our initiative. It was an honour to welcome him and see him take on the challenge against the legendary Judit Polgar!

And finally, a huge thank you to our team, volunteers, guests and everyone who joined us and helped make this day so special.

We couldn’t have done it without you. ❤️

It was truly an honour and a dream for us to have you at the festival Judit Polgar ♟️👸

Thank you for your time, your kindness and for inspiring everyone yesterday. From the youngest children to all of us in the team. 🙏🇧🇪

CHALLENGER #11: MEET TED STUMBRS! 🇬🇧

Tedis Stumbrs is known as the fun guy of the online chess world. Always ready with a joke, always making people laugh, and rarely taking things too seriously. 😁

But tomorrow? The jokes might have to wait. 👀♟️

Because Ted isn’t just here to entertain, he’s a serious contender.

On 5 September, he’ll face his biggest challenge yet.

At the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels, Ted will be one of only 20 challengers taking on Judit Polgar , the greatest female chess player of all time, in the grand finale of the Chess & Mates Festival. 👑

Can the funny guy do the unthinkable and take down the Queen of Chess? 😏

One thing is certain: Ted is coming for more than just the laughs. 🔥♟️

CHALLENGER #10: MEET CÉDRIC! 🇧🇪

Meet Cédric Comhaire, founder of Chess & Mates, full-time chess teacher, organiser… and now also one of the 20 challengers who will take on Judit Polgar

Cédric started playing chess at the age of 7 at Vrijschaker Landegem. As a young player, he became Belgian school chess champion several times and competed in international tournaments.

But chess was not always his profession.

⚖️ After four years working as a lawyer in Brussels, Cédric decided to completely change direction and turn his lifelong passion into his full-time job.
🇫🇷 He then spent two years in Cannes teaching chess at the renowned Cannes Echecs club before returning to Belgium.
♟️ Today, he dedicates his time to teaching children, training coaches, organising events and making chess more accessible through Chess & Mates.

What started as games with friends and family gradually grew into something much bigger: chess camps, tournaments, schools, community events… and eventually the Chess & Mates Festival itself.

And now comes a slightly surreal moment.

At the Royal Library of Belgium, Cédric will become Challenger #10, facing Judit Polgar in the grand finale of the festival.

Some journeys really do come full circle. ❤️♟️

CHALLENGER #9: MEET DIKKE SVEKKE! 🇧🇪

Some challengers come from the chess world. Others bring a whole community with them. 😄

Meet Dikke Svekke, one of the most recognisable content creators in Flanders. Known for his Just Chatting streams, major event streams, and his unmistakable mix of storytelling, humour and entertainment, he has built a strong and loyal audience on Twitch , where he also holds Twitch Partner status. 🔥

For Sven Naudts, content creation is all about creativity, personality and bringing people together.

🏆 Nominated 3 times for the Vlaamse Online Content Awards (de De Jamies )
🎙️ Host of Dikke Svekke’s Geeky Podcast
🎧 Former host of the eSports podcast Kayzr Talks
🎪 Organiser of events such as Comic Con Brussels

As one of the most watched streamers in Flanders, Dikke Svekke has built a unique place in the online world by constantly finding new ways to blend his creative background into his streams, shows and live events.

With an audience made up largely of Gen Z and millennials, he knows exactly how to entertain, engage and connect with people through his own unique energy and style. ❤️

And on 5 September, he’ll step into a very different kind of live event… 😏♟️

At the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels, Dikke Svekke will be one of only 20 challengers taking on Judit Polgar , the greatest female chess player in history, during the grand finale of the Chess & Mates Festival. 👑

From streaming and podcasts to a seat across the board from Judit Polgár, now that’s a challenge. 😄

Who’s next? 👀

CHALLENGER #8: MEET ENDER! 🇧🇪

From podcasts and content creation to… taking on the Queen of Chess. 😅👑

Meet Ender Scholtens one of the most recognisable content creators in the Flemish online media scene. Ender started creating videos while still a student, later became a presenter at TAGMAG, and built his own podcast into a major Flemish online format. Today, he continues creating through VeryNice and his own production company.

But chess actually came long before all of that.

♟️ Learned to play as a child thanks to his father
👨‍👦 Used to play regularly with his dad and brother
🎥 Content creator, podcaster & entrepreneur
🔥 Recently rediscovered his love for chess
🧠 Loves it because, in his words, few games are quite as challenging

After years away from the board, Ender has recently started playing actively again. And since he says he enjoys a challenge… we thought we’d give him a pretty serious one. 😏

On 5 September, Ender will be one of only 20 challengers taking on Judit Polgar, the greatest female chess player in history, during the grand finale of the Chess & Mates Festival at KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) in Brussels. 👑♟️

Who’s next? 👀

CHALLENGER #7: MEET LUKAS! 🇧🇪

Some challengers you invite. Others are already in the building. 😄

Meet Lukas Dewijngaert , the software developer behind the screens at Chess & Mates. If you’ve booked a spot, checked the pairings, or scrolled through our festival website… chances are, that was his work.

But Lukas doesn’t only build the platform, he plays too. ♟️
He recently crossed 2000 ELO on chess.com, and shares his games, blunders and hard-earned wins with his chess community on TikTok. 📱

With ChessTenders , Lukas now helps other players climb the same ladder he worked so hard to reach.

And on 5 September, he will swap his keyboard for a chessboard and take on Judit Polgar, the greatest female chess player in history, at KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) in Brussels. 👑

Who’s next? 👀

CHALLENGER #1: MEET BART DE WEVER! ♟️🇧🇪

A month ago, he announced in a video that he would take on Judit Polgar if his agenda allowed it.
Now it is time to officially present our Challenger #1: Bart De Wever , Prime Minister of Belgium.

On 5 September, he is set to be one of only 20 challengers facing Judit Polgár, the greatest female chess player in history, during the grand finale of the Chess & Mates Festival.

At the KBR (Royal Library of Belgium) in Brussels, Bart De Wever will sit across the board from Judit Polgár alongside tournament winners, invited challengers and special guests for what promises to be one of the highlights of the festival.

Maximus Textoris Pulcher has been handling the Prime Minister’s final preparation… although we’re told he still refuses to reveal his opening repertoire 👀🐈

From the Prime Minister of Belgium to young chess talents, the simultaneous exhibition perfectly reflects what Chess & Mates is all about: bringing different generations and backgrounds together around the chessboard. ❤️

Who will be the next challenger to join the line-up? 👀

The prime minster’s participation remains subject to unforeseen political developments at the last moment.