About our goals. First and foremost, we aim to build a community. As the FIDE (International Chess Federation) motto states: “Gens una sumus” or “We are one family.” Like in every family, there are different personalities, demands, and expectations, but the love for chess and for playing the game can connect everyone.
Secondly, we want to help children reach their potential, both in their own lives and in chess. Through chess, we aim to teach how to manage success and failures, stress, time, when to wait or be patient, how to accumulate advantages, to be open and adapt to new situations, and how to prioritize to succeed in chess. As we play, we will learn these lessons.
Thirdly, we provide opportunities to play competitive games. We organize tournaments and various individual and team competitions. We group players based on their skill levels to give everyone more chances to win rewards (trophies, badges, medals) and to materialize their success.
About me. My name is Zsolt Kardkovacs, a former Hungarian (now Irish) chess player with an Elo-point of 2140. Former in the sense that I did not play a rated game since, well, a long time ago. I was a chess coach in Budapest (Csepel, Hungary) for a couple of years, but later I shifted my focus to my family and career.
After the COVID pandemic, we moved to Ireland, where we found a very welcoming community. One of my children is an active chess player and was selected to play in the Community Games. The team had a lot of talent and potential, but they had no coach. I volunteered because I wanted to give back to the community. In the Community Games, three of these teams reached the Munster Final, and one won the All-Ireland Community Games in chess in 2022. Since then, I have been holding regular sessions in Kinsale. With different teams and age groups, we have consistently reached the All-Ireland final, and the children have won two trophies. Seeing the success and enthusiasm, the Kinsale Chess Mates club was established.
In 2023, I received the National Arbiter title in Ireland, and in 2024, I passed the FIDE Arbiter exam. I am currently awaiting confirmation of the FIDE Arbiter title. To further help the children develop their skills, I organized several tournaments in Kinsale and have participated in events across Ireland as a national arbiter.