After Rubinstein, Tartakower and Najdorf – each of whom only briefly represented their homeland on the international stage – Poland went decades without a truly serious talent. That is, until Duda appeared. It took Jan-Krzysztof just a few years to almost become the world blitz champion, win the World Cup, and turn into a nightmare for Carlsen, as he was the one who ended Magnus's historic unbeaten streak.
Duda was born on April 26, 1998, in Krakow. His mother introduced him to chess at the age of 5, and by 7 he won the German Children's Championship. Two years later the Polish prodigy became the World U10 Champion and two years after that the European U14 Champion. At 15 Jan-Krzysztof became a grandmaster and a year later he debuted for Poland at the Olympiad, scoring 8.5/11 on board three. Alongside his success in classical chess, he made a name for himself as a strong blitz player: in 2014 he won the European Rapid Championship and finished second in blitz. In 2015, he came close to becoming the "chess prince" but lost the title in a tiebreak.
Duda's real breakthrough came in 2018: he became the Polish Champion (6.5/9), led his national team at the Olympiad, reached the semifinals of the Speed Chess Championship and had an epic race with Carlsen for the World Blitz Championship title. The two traded the lead back and forth, pulling two points ahead of the rest of the field, but Jan-Krzysztof ultimately finished second (16.5/21). Everyone admired his playing style, with its flashy and sometimes reckless attacks... Even the champion praised his opponent: "It's always interesting to watch his games – Duda plays only for the win, he's not interested in a draw!"
Duda considered himself a universal player, believing that his style was closest to Fischer's. However, Jan-Krzysztof prefers sharp, complicated positions filled with tactics and in the opening, he relies more on his intuition and bluffing. It was this ability to "turn the game around" that led him to two landmark victories over Carlsen in 2020: first he beat Magnus in rapid chess and then in classical chess, ending Carlsen's record streak of 125 games without a loss. By that time the 22-year-old Pole had risen to 15th in the world rankings (2757).
Duda achieved his greatest tournament success in 2021 by winning the World Cup in Sochi. On his way to the top he defeated Vázquez, Sevian, Idani, Grischuk, Vidit, Carlsen and Karjakin. In the semifinal match against the champion, a spot in the 2022 Candidates Tournament was also at stake. After two short draws in classical games, Jan-Krzysztof emerged stronger in the tiebreak – 1.5-0.5. In the final against Karjakin he won in regular time – 1.5-0.5.
In 2021 Duda repeated his 2018 result at the World Blitz Championship, finishing second, this time behind Vachier-Lagrave. In 2022 he placed second in the online Champions Chess Tour, finishing behind only Carlsen in the overall standings, winning two stages and losing in the final of another. But that's where the good news ended. The Pole suddenly faltered in the 2022 Candidates Tournament in Madrid, scoring 5.5/14, barely escaping last place, and his ambitions quickly began to fade from memory. He failed to qualify for the next cycle of the Candidates and after the "Indian revolution", Jan-Krzysztof is rarely mentioned among the potential contenders for the crown.
