Queen who exposed the arrogance of kings
Oliver Moody
Judit Polgár has blood on her hands. The most successful woman in chess has beaten Garry Kasparov, Boris Spassky and even Magnus Carlsen, the present world champion and the game’s only bona fide celebrity.
Now that juggernaut career is coming to a stop. At the age of 38, after almost 25 years as the women’s world No 1 player and long stints in the World Chess Federation’s top ten, Polgár has chosen to announce her retirement in The Times.
The Hungarian will not go gentle into that good night. In her last interview as a player at the world’s top table, she lamented the struggle it had taken her to break into a club still dominated and defined by men. In a game in which many male grandmasters still insist that women do not have the logical wiring or the belligerence to succeed, Polgár has stood out like a third sex.
At one tournament a man asked if he could have a picture taken with her. As they posed for the shot, he said: “Somebody told me that the best player is Hou Yifan [the Chinese women’s world champion] and I said ‘Come on, it’s Judit Polgár’ and he said ‘Come on, she’s a man’.”
Full article here.
Susan, my best regards to your sister, the greatest woman chess player of all time. I will miss her great games but got her last books she published! They are great.
Sorry to hear that, wish a match with Hou Yifan could have been arranged or you could have played in St. Louis. Good luck.
It can’t be true !
As an admirer and ardent fan of her since her first appearance on the chess stage, I dearly hope Judit will have second thoughts about the matter after having calmed down.
At the moment, however, her friends would like most to know the reason. I guess it has to do with her being kicked out of the team in Tromso after round seven. I suspect she has been treated unfairly by her team or her team captain. If so, I do wish Hungary loses today, as in this case, they do not deserve a medal at all.
It was some to hear this. What are her plans now?
It was sad to hear this. What are her plans now?
My admiration for Judith Polgar!
L.
judit has always been the fighter. i watched her games against the top gms and cheered her on. in a time of insane home-prep and uneventful draws she had always been ready to pick a fight – against anyone. shes one of my chess heros.
she is a legendary figure in chess having broken the glass ceiling so to speak.. she can still play top-level chess I hope at age 38 she will reconsider coz 38 is not so old, look at vishy
I am sorry to hear this! I have always admired both you (Susan) and Judit. She will be greatly missed. What are her plans? Will she be helping with SPICE or some other chess related activity? Best wishes to Judit and her family as they enter a new chapter in their lives.
Disappointed that the article requires a paid subscription. Can you please post the full article, after some time, if the publisher allows it for free? Thanks.