Judit Polgar wows European Championship with mother of all displays

Leonard Barden

Though Russia’s Vladimir Potkin won the European Championship at Aix-les-Bains on tie-break, it was the bronze medallist Judit Polgar who most delighted the global online audience by her creative chess. The world’s all-time No1 woman player won four imaginative attacks and two subtle endgames in her 8½/11 total.

Polgar is now a mother of two and plays few events, making her result the more impressive. Here she counters White’s slow 4 Qc2?! by fast development, then sacrifices a whole rook to keep the white king in the centre. Computers are unconvinced, but over the board defenders usually err in such positions, and 19 Rc1? (19 Ng5) and 26 Qf3? (26 g4) led to a Polgar piece invasion where 31…e3! stops perpetual check.

L Pantsulaia v J Polgar

1 c4 e6 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 g3 d5 4 Qc2?! c5 5 d4 cxd4 6 Nxd4 e5 7 Nb3 Nc6 8 Bg2 Nb4 9 Qd1 dxc4 10 N3d2 Bf5 11 Na3 b5! 12 Bxa8 Qxa8 13 Nf3 Nd3+ 14 exd3 Bxd3 15 Nxb5 Bb4+ 16 Nc3 0-0 17 Rg1 Ne4 18 Bd2 Rd8 19 Rc1? Nxc3 20 bxc3 Ba3 21 Be3 Bxc1 22 Bxc1 Rb8 23 Nd2 Qd5 24 Qa4 a5 25 Qd1 h6! 26 Qf3? Rb1! 27 Kd1 e4 28 Qf4 Ra1 29 Qb8+ Kh7 30 g4 Qd7 31 Qe5 e3! 32 fxe3 Qa4+ 33 Ke1 Rxc1+ 34 Kf2 Rxg1 0-1

Full article here.

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