In London, chess, music and the idea of peace shared the same stage

At the beginning of the 1970s, John Lennon imagined a world without war in Imagine, while Yoko Ono symbolised the futility of conflict with a chess set in which every piece was white. Decades later, that powerful cultural image found new relevance during the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship finals held in London in February. Invited as guest of honour, musician and chess enthusiast Jason Kouchak watched elite grandmasters battle at high speed on screens and reminded everyone that chess is not merely a sport or a mind game, but also a form of artistic expression.

Kouchak’s relationship with chess goes far beyond the atmosphere of an ordinary tournament hall. A remark once made by Grandmaster Peter Svidler captures this outlook perfectly: “In my understanding, the things of the world strive to become music. And chess comes very close.” Svidler preserved his love of music on his path to chess mastery; Kouchak, by contrast, achieved mastery in music yet never lost his attraction to chess, consistently bringing his two passions together. From Judit Polgar’s chess festival in Budapest to a range of international events, Kouchak has performed his compositions in chess settings and has become one of the most distinctive figures connecting the chess world with music.

The Speed Chess Championship final in London on 7 and 8 February also illustrated how modern chess continues to evolve. The series is primarily played online, but at the final stage the top four players gather in the same city and still contest the semifinals and final in front of screens, using extremely fast time controls. This format blends the deep calculation of classical chess with the reflex-driven dynamism of blitz and bullet. To Kouchak, these grandmasters appeared almost like virtuoso jazz musicians improvising over the board: swift and accurate opening choices, imaginative combinations in the middlegame, and nerve-testing technical precision in the endgame.

For that reason, the London final was more than the conclusion of a major championship. It also stood as a symbolic meeting point that highlighted chess as culture, art and a universal language. At first glance, there may seem to be a great distance between Yoko Ono’s single-colour chessboard and today’s digital elite competition, yet their common ground is unmistakable: chess can bring people together around the same table in ways that go beyond rivalry. Jason Kouchak’s presence in London made exactly that visible, showing that notes and moves, speed and beauty, and competitive struggle and the ideal of peace can coexist side by side.