Presenting Michał Kanarkiewicz

Michał Kanarkiewicz is a chess player, author of seven books, entrepreneur, business consultant and speaker who translates the thinking of chess masters into the business world.

He helps leaders and teams of major companies think and plan more effectively, so they achieve better results.

Get to know him better

Chess saved his life, now he helps his clients improve their strategies

His story

He describes his first encounter with chess like this:

“I’m not going to do self-therapy here, but I’ll start by saying that my childhood was no bed of roses. I remember coming home from school with my friends one afternoon and encountering my dad staggering around drunk… A horrible experience for a child. I always felt ashamed. I was sick of it… but then my first love appeared – chess.

When I was eight years old, my friend Xavier visited me and said: ‘Michal, look, this is chess!’ He explained the rules to me, and although we didn’t understand everything, we started playing. I was quickly drawn in. Chess reminded me of war. Two armies facing each other fighting for victory. I liked history and was impressed at the time by commanders who were able to achieve spectacular and multiple victories.

In addition, as Xavier told me, chess is usually played by intelligent people. And this already interested me a lot. I wanted to be intelligent! And so I went from playing a game with a friend, through to a school competition, to my first professional chess tournament. An innocent visit from a friend gave rise to massive changes in my life!”

At just 19, his entrepreneurial adventure began:

“Unfortunately, to go to chess tournaments, I had to have money. Others got it from their parents … I had to take care of it myself. I started teaching the children of my friends and my mother – this is where my entrepreneurial adventure began. At the age of 19, I started a business!

Over time, I began to develop this business, and today, I run a training and consulting company that serves corporate clients. I translate the thinking of chess players into the business world.

I would not have succeeded without those closest to me. First and foremost, my mother and brother, who have supported me from the beginning in the development of my career and continue to cheer me on my way to the top.

They encouraged me when I was a young talented chess player, appreciated me when I started working as a chess teacher and continued to support me as I became a popularizer of the royal game, author of seven books, entrepreneur, business consultant and inspirational speaker at major organizations.”

Today, he uses chess to build effective strategies in major companies

Offer

Power Speech
A Power Speech is a speech that inspires your employees, raises their energy levels, and gives them practical tips that they can apply in their professional daily lives.
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Training
Strategic thinking training will give your employees the competencies they need to effectively set goals, plan and make business decisions.
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His mission is to get 10 million Poles to play chess, which is why he popularizes the game at every opportunity

Mission

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Michał shows that anyone can play chess

Inspiration

Nick Vujicic is a motivational speaker born with a rare condition known as tetra-amelia syndrome. In this interview, he explains why he likes chess and the benefits of the game.

Check out Michał’s interview with Nick Vujicic

Michał conducts research, among others, in cooperation with the company of world champion Magnus Carlsen

Research

The NEUROHM company, with the support of Michal Kanarkiewicz and the Play Magnus Group, conducted a chess survey aimed at promoting the royal game and expanding knowledge about players, i.e. the group of people who play chess – both professionally and amateur. The survey was conducted on a sample of 2,057 people who were asked about, among other things:

frequency of playing the royal game
stress associated with the game
sources of inspiration and development

Download report in PL

Download report in EN

In his mission, he works with some of the largest organizations in Poland and the world

Clients

I sincerely recommend Michał Kanarkiewicz, who conducted a workshop for us on strategic thinking using practical elements of chess
In an inspiring way, he conveyed how the rules of chess translate into effectiveness in business. He demonstrated impressive factual knowledge and was a source of inspiration for the participants.
I would recommend Michał to any company that would like to gain a competitive advantage by improving its managerial staff.
Marta Wojtera
Head of Global Center, Volvo Group
Collaboration with Michał could not have resulted in anything but mutual success - it was a masterstroke!
Michał combines his passion for chess and out-of-the-box thinking about business, which creates a unique personality. With great care, he analyzed our needs and personalized his speech in such a way as to best reach the participants of the meeting. He personally gained my trust personally with his openness and approachability :) At all stages of our cooperation, Michał presented extensive knowledge, an excellent sense of humor and professionalism.
Małgorzata Nowakowska
HR Deputy Director, VINCI Construction Poland
With vast experience and a keen business sense, Michał can identify and solve tactical problems that may block the achievement of strategic goals
His commitment and personalized approach to our original event themed around "The Queen's Gambit" was a masterstroke. Michał not only perfectly tailored his presentation to meet the participants' expectations but also, with his openness, sense of humor, and professionalism, ensured our collaboration was a shared success.
Małgorzata Figiel-Koźlak
Deputy Director of the Department of Employee Performance Efficiency, KGHM