Four siblings, 150 boards
Four siblings of the Karácsonyi family held a 150-board Team Simul in Budapest, on 28 December 2025. All of them have a rating above 2000, Gellért is an IM (2412), Kata obtained her third WIM norm in December (2238), Luca has an Elo rating of 2064, and the youngest Bánk has an Elo rating of 2107.
All four siblings played on all boards, making consecutive moves one after the other, so they had to understand each other’s thoughts in every game. Two players lost by forfeit, but on 148 boards the games were played all the way. After six hours, the Karácsonyi siblings won 109 games, drew 22 and lost only 17, although the opposition was not made up of beginners.
According to our research, no such Family Simul happened in the history of chess, featuring four siblings, such playing strength, so many boards and with such results. A good inspiration for chess families and a lively event for chess lovers in Budapest – hopefully to be continued.
The simul-givers were:
- IM Gellért Karácsonyi (2412)
- Kata Karácsonyi (2238), who earned her third WIM norm in December
- Luca Karácsonyi (2064)
- Bánk Karácsonyi (2107), the youngest of the quartet
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