Polish Diver Wins 12 of 16 Underwater Chess Games at Once

Michał Mazurkiewicz turned a tragedy into triumph by becoming the world's greatest underwater chess player after a back injury during the pandemic left him unable to walk for months.

The Polish athlete broke the Guinness World Record in 2024 for most simultaneous diving chess opponents, taking on 16 players at once. He took just one breath between each move, swimming back down to the pool bottom and straight to the next board.

In the end, he won 12 games, tied three, and lost just one. Now his story hits US television screens this Saturday at 8 a.m. ET on ESPN2 in a special called Diving Chess: World Tour.

The sport combines two mental and physical challenges into one breathtaking competition. Players place chess boards at the bottom of a pool and make their moves using exactly one breath, with no diving equipment except goggles allowed.

Emerging without making a move means an automatic loss. When your opponent surfaces, you have to go down immediately.

Michał's journey began after his serious back injury forced him to give up football and other activities he loved. Swimming became part of his recovery therapy, which he did several times a week.

When friends told him about the Polish Diving Chess Championships, everything clicked. He'd played chess since childhood, had a scuba diving certification, and was now a regular swimmer.

He won the Polish championship easily, then contacted the sport's creator Etan Ilfeld and traveled to London for the World Championship. He's now won gold three times in a row.

Why This Inspires

Michał admits he's not a professional athlete in either chess or swimming. But facing both psychological and physical pressure simultaneously taught him that believing in yourself matters more than natural talent.

When Guinness World Records sent him the requirements for the simultaneous games record, he thought it was impossible. But he decided to train even harder anyway, comparing his determination to Rocky running up those famous stairs for the first time.

He plays chess almost every day and swims five to six days a week now. Having the opportunity to combine his two biggest passions feels like a dream, especially after doctors told him he might never return to sports.

The ESPN special will also feature footage from the Diving Chess World Championships in Poland last May, where 62 players competed for a £10,000 prize, plus a segment where Michał played chess while cage diving with sharks.

His comeback proves that sometimes our biggest setbacks can lead us to discover talents we never knew we had.