Duda versus Seweryn
Duel of the grandmasters
On one side of the chessboard, Jan Krzysztof Duda - a chess Grandmaster since 2013 and World Cup winner, who received compliments even from the great Garri Kasparov. On the other, Wlodzimierz Seweryn - a grandmaster of the chisel, who specializes in making the impossible happen. On the last Saturday of October, in the year of our Lord 2021, the two played the inaugural, first ever game on a chessboard made by Seweryn from the limestones taken from the walls of Ogrodzieniec Castle.
I must admit that I have never seen such chess pieces before. They’re beautiful. All the figures are very distinct. Personally, I think I like the king the most, but the towers are interesting too. It is also the first time I've seen a chess set where every pawn is different. This adds to their charm - said Jan Krzysztof Duda during this historic duel, which took place in Wieliczka, near Kraków. He thus complimenting over six months of his opponent’s work. Duda’s second game played with Seweryn's carved limestone pieces was with Kamil Mitoń, a Grandmaster and the U-20 Vice-Champion of the World, who represented Poland on numerous occasions and coached the men's team during the Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, Norway.
The inaugural duel took place less than three months after Jan Krzysztof Duda won the World Cup in Sochi, beating Russian Sergey Karjakin in the finals, and Magnus Carlsen in the semifinals (a many time World Champion and icon of the sport). The victory over Magnus puts Duda at a level not seen in Polish chess since the days of Najdorf and Rubinstein - commented Garri Kasparov, one of the most famous chess players in history, delighted with the Pole's achievement. The memory of that duel was still fresh in the mind of the Polish chess player, because when asked who he’d like to face in a game played with pieces forged from the walls of the Ogrodzieniec fortress, he mentioned only one name.
Perhaps Magnus Carlsen would make a worthy opponent - expressed Jan Krzysztof Duda.
If such a duel were to take place, it would probably be a fight for the highest honors in chess. Who could imagine a better site for an event of this magnitude than the only chessboard in the world with pieces made of 600 year old stone?
