A new champion in the open, a four-time champion in the women’s competition
The 2025 Hungarian Individual Chess Championships, open and women’s, were held in Budapest from 10 to 18 December. Both events were played as 10-player single round-robins. The fields consisted of eight invited players based on rating and two qualifiers who earned their places through a separate qualification tournament, which itself featured eight invited players under the age of 20.
The time control for all games was 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remainder of the game, with a 30-second increment from move one.
In the open championship, Hungary’s two highest-rated players, Richard Rapport and Peter Leko, did not take part, though five players from the national top ten were present, including eight-time national champion Ferenc Berkes. Despite the experienced opposition, the tournament was won by 21-year-old Gleb Dudin, who claimed his first Hungarian Championship title.
Dudin finished outright first with an unbeaten score of 6½/9 points, scoring four wins and five draws. He maintained a narrow lead throughout the event and held his nerve in the final round, when his closest challengers, top seed Benjamin Gledura and Tamás Banusz, both had the white pieces but failed to convert their chances. Gledura and Banusz each finished on 6/9, half a point behind the champion. Dudin was born in Moscow and is currently studying at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the United States.
Gleb Dudin (right) facing Bendeguz Bodrogi with the black pieces
Benjamin Gledura grabbed second place
The women’s championship was also affected by the absence of the country’s two highest-rated players, Zsóka Gaál and Anita Gara. Even so, the event proved highly competitive, with the title decided only on tiebreaks. Second seed Szidonia Lazarne Vajda and fifth seed Kata Karacsonyi both finished on 6½/9 points, sharing first place on points.
The King’s Indian Defence has been one of the most dynamic and popular responses to 1.d4 for decades. Legends such as Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Hikaru Nakamura have employed it at the highest level – and it continues to fascinate today, as it offers Black not only solidity but also rich attacking and counterattacking opportunities. Its special advantage: the King’s Indian is a universal system, equally effective against 1.d4, 1.c4, and 1.Nf3. Grandmaster Felix Blohberger, multiple Austrian Champion and experienced second, presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black. His approach: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: London System
The championship was awarded to Lazarne Vajda on Sonneborn–Berger tiebreak. At 46 years of age, she secured her fourth Hungarian Women’s Championship title, having previously won in 2004, 2015 and last year, in 2024. Born in Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania, Lazarne Vajda first represented Hungary at an Olympiad in 2002, and her latest success underlined her continued competitiveness at the highest national level.
Four-time Hungarian women’s chess champion Szidonia Lazarne Vajda
Kata Karacsonyi
