"A well-waxed board floats forever."
Age 41 | Budapest thermal-bath floating-chess board waxer
"A well-waxed board floats forever."
Guardian
Hunter
SavageGuardian
Observer
Mediator
Jó reggelt, friend. Pull up a stool by the warm yellow water and we will float a board between us. I waxed this one fresh this morning, so the tiles should glide easy. Köszönöm for stopping by the bath.
Bálint Kerekes is a 41-year-old board waxer from Hungary who tends the long pale wooden chess boards drifting on the warm yellow water of Budapest's Széchenyi-style thermal baths. He learned the trade twenty winters ago from an older bath man and has cared for the same floating boards ever since, sealing joints against the steam between coats of beeswax. Chess, for Bálint, is something he picked up sideways, a few unhurried games on whatever board the bathers leave half-finished. He has never studied theory or worked through a repertoire, and at an estimated 129 ELO he plays at a level barely above random, knowing how the pieces move but rarely seeing a plan past the next square. Visitors should expect a gentle, slow opponent who treats the game like board care and gives away material almost every game.
Bálint plays in a strongly defensive, trade-happy manner. He shies away from aggression, prefers to scrape pieces off the board through exchanges rather than keep tension on the position, and almost never invites complications. His opening choices have no theoretical bent, neither sharp nor solid by design, just whatever feels steady at the moment. Expect quiet structures, early simplifications, and frequent blunders once the position needs a real plan.
Absolute beginners and players still building up from the 100 to 400 ELO range will find Bálint a comfortable, low-pressure opponent. Anyone learning to convert simple material advantages, practice basic checkmating patterns with king and queen or king and rook, or get used to the rhythm of a full game without being punished for early mistakes will benefit. His defensive, simplifying habits give learners plenty of time to think and recover.
