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A little girl from a Communist country armed with only a chess board would find her way to freedom by pushing pawns. She would break the gender barrier in chess and after a life full of accomplisments, her life will go down in history.

The young Jewish girl’s belief that she could conquer anything came from her father. He believed, despite her obstacles, she could become a genius and master the world by the game of chess.

Susan Polgar started playing chess at age 4. Her journey took her into a world where she’d have to face men staring down at her from across the chess board. She would eventually have to battle even her own country to compete with the men.

Polgar started playing chess by chance but her success would be no accident.

Polgar rapidly became famous in the chess world. She not only made history but set and broke world records. She paved the way for future female chess players by breaking the gender barrier. Her two younger sisters would go on to become famous chess players as well.

Polgar sisters in Budapest in 2007

Polgar, to this day, continues to set records. In March, 15 years after her retirement from competition as a player, Polgar was inducted into the U.S. World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis. At 49, she’s the youngest woman ever to be inducted.

Raising a Genius

Susan Polgar was born Zsuzsanna Polgar in Budapest, Hungary, and was the oldest of three daughters of Laszlo and Klara Polgar. Laszlo was a psychologist and author, and Zsuzsa’s mother, Klara, was a school teacher. They home schooled their children and taught them chess. Laszlo theorized that any healthy child could become a genius, given the right educational balance and teaching. He wrote a book before his children were born that was called, “Raising A Genius.”

After worldwide success in chess, ZsuZsa Polgar changed her name to Susan because she figured it would be easier for the press to get her name right. As a little girl, she loved playing with the chess pieces, and her father eagerly taught her the game.

“It wasn’t quite coincidental that chess happened to be the tool or subject of the experiment,” she said. “He had this dream and theory that once he had children he would try to prove that any healthy born child can become a genius.”

Polgar said her father was pleased she liked chess because it is more of an objective way to measure success over other fields in life.

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Laszlo took his oldest daughter to adult chess clubs for practice.

She said back then only old men played in the smoke-filled clubs. She became so good at chess, she often beat middle-aged men. They would say abusive things to her and some would throw the chess pieces after losing, she recalled.

“I remember when I was just 6 years old, the men would make fun of each other [when they lost to me]. If I would beat one of them, they would be the laughing stock of the club for the next few weeks, until I beat one of them,” Polgar said. “The good news is, they eventually got used to it. They, too, got to become part of the club that lost to Zsuzsa.”

At the age of 4, she won the Budapest Championship for girls under 11, defeating girls nearly three times her age with a 10-0 score. Polgar said that was when the game really grabbed her. She said winning didn’t come easy. She had to sit on phone books and pillows just to reach across the board.

Polgar’s first championship win was an awakening for her, her parents and the chess community, she said.

She became the top-ranked female player in the world when she was just 15 years old. She went on to become the first female grandmaster, paving the way for her two sisters and all women to follow.

“I’m proud to say that I broke the gender barrier,” Polgar said. “I was the first woman to earn the grandmaster title through the regular requirements of the World Chess Federation. Now there are around three-dozen women who have accomplished grandmaster title, who have followed in my footsteps, including my sister, Judit, soon after I did it.”

Polgar Breaks the Invisible Glass Ceiling

While Polgar’s younger sister Judit, is considered the best female player to ever play the game of chess, it is Susan who won four Women’s World Chess Championships. The sisters were considered prodigies and wanted to be the best in the world.

”When I was a teenager, I was stunned that other female players really didn’t believe it was possible to be successful against men,” Polgar said. “It was really meaningful, in the sense that it gave women the self-confidence to say, ‘If Zsuzsa can do it, then we can, too.’ And they can, and that is the whole point!”

Susan won 12 medals in the Olympiad, consisting of five gold, four silver and three bronze. She holds the record for 56 consecutive games unbeaten, meaning she either won or drew but had no losses all played on board one (the hardest board).

She would corroborate her dad’s “Genius is Raised” belief when Susan was featured in the documentary film, “My Brilliant Brain” where she played five games simultaneously in her head.

She would break the record for most simultaneous games played against 326 players with 309 wins, 14 draws and three losses. The feat took 16 ½ hours.

In 1986, she was the first woman to qualify for the Men’s World Championship Cycle, so wasn’t allowed to play but they would eventually have to drop the word “men” from its title.

In 1991, she broke the gender barrier again when she was also the first woman to become a grandmaster. In 2003, she earned the grandmaster of the year award. She won the U.S. Blitz Championship in 2003 and is the first World Chess champion to win a triple crown. Polgar said that generally, it is now okay for men to lose to women in chess.

Polgar said most guys nowadays can accept losing to a good chess player of a similar rating, whether it’s male or female. She said that’s one of her accomplishments she thinks goes well beyond chess.

“I made society and guys know that it is okay to lose to a girl. It’s no longer an eyebrow-raiser,” Polgar said. “Thanks to my successes and then to my sister’s, and the women since, I think today it is not as shocking. It is social change.”

Polgar Pays it Forward

Polgar still has the passionate drive to pave the way for young children who want to play the game. In 2002, she formed The Susan Polgar Foundation to make chess accessible to all kids around the world.

Polgar also recognized the need to teach chess at the collegiate level, and started the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (S.P.I.C.E.) in 2007. She would solicit the help of her old friend Paul Truong, who was a public relations specialist and businessman. Truong, although he was an accomplished chess player himself, left competitive chess for a business career. He agreed to help Polgar.

“I agreed that in my free time I would help her,” Truong said. “I contacted some people I knew who had a firm that could help us get the Susan Pulgar Institute of Chess Excellence going, their office was at the World Trade Tower.”

Paul Truong explains S.P.I.C.E. mission

The appointment was Sept. 11, 2001. As fate would have it, their appointment was delayed because the firm still had paperwork they needed to get in order. Polgar and Truong narrowly missed the terrorist attack.

“We had an 8 o’clock appointment, but the firm called to delay the meeting for two hours,” Truong said. “The planes hit the World Trade Towers around 9 a.m. It was like an act of God because only the night before did they call and delay our business meeting.”

Ironically, they escaped Communism as children only to narrowly escape a terrorist attack as adults.

Truong feels like someone up above was giving him a message. He sold his business after that. He said he knew then that he needed to get back to doing what he loved. Polgar and Truong would continue to advance chess. They also advanced their relationship into marriage.

S.P.I.C.E. took up residency at Texas Tech University.

S.P.I.C.E. Accomplishments

Polgar is the head coach of seven consecutive Division I Collegiate Final Four championship teams from 2007 to 2017. In 2012, Polgar moved S.P.I.C.E. to Webster University, and Webster went on to win five of those championships.

Her chess teams also have won the past seven Pan-Am Chess Tournaments.

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The Chess Final Four was held in New York the first week of April this year and Webster took second place. Polgar said on her Twitter page that the team did not accomplish what it set out for, so it’s back to the drawing board.

Webster University Chess National Championships

“Our players gave it their all,” Polgar stated.” Congratulations to the champion.”

Polgar’s motto is, “Win with grace, lose with dignity.”

The idea from her father’s theory that genius can be learned dictates discipline and work ethic. Illia Nyzhnyk, a grandmaster chess player from the Ukraine, is on the Webster chess team. Nyzhnyk said studying under Polgar has taught him the importance of balance and time management.

“She emphasizes proper rest, eating well and time management in everything we do,” Nyzhnyk said.

https://soundcloud.com/larry-glenn-1/grandmaster-illia-nyzhnyk-of-webster-university

Nyzhnyk is impressed by Polgars relentless drive.

”She’s still very dedicated and has been doing this for so long, it’s amazing she doesn’t seem to be getting tired. She has an inexhaustible energy. I am not sure where she gets it.”

Grandmaster Illia Nyzhnyk

Webster University S.P.I.C.E.

Polgar believes that chess teaches many life disciplines. She wants people to be aware of the game’s benefits and have the accessibility to play it. She is a noted ambassador for the sport and for equality.

Tori Wheatley from North Augusta, S.C., became aware of Polgar through her love for chess. Wheatley competed in Polgar’s women’s tournaments and went to Webster University to study chess under Polgar.

Wheatley also worked at the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis. She gave tours and explained the Hall of Fame exhibits. Wheatley said it’s frustrating Polgar wasn’t inducted sooner because of what all her mentor had done for the game.

“It was my job [when I worked there] to talk to people and give tours, and it made me sad because all that Susan accomplished, and did for the game of chess, and she wasn’t even in there,” Wheatley said. “Sometimes little girls would come through to tour the Museum and Hall of Fame, and I would have to tell them about the most important female chess player ever, who isn’t even in here. I am so glad they finally put her in.”

Polgar, often dubbed the queen of chess, is now positioned in the World Chess Hall of Fame Museum in St. Louis. Her focus, though, is on what she can do for the world of chess today. She said children all over the world, who want to play the game, should be able to.

Truong, from South Vietnam, also grew up under communist rule. He said people can overcome obstacles in life and turn them into something positive.

“I remember what it was like not to have freedoms under the communist regime,” Truong said. “When you live under socialism and communism, you do not have the freedom to do what you want with your life. Susan’s own government would not let her play in the Men’s World Championship, even after she qualified, her own government took her passport away.”

The idea that genius is made not born has opened doors for Polgar and she continues to open doors for those who choose mind over matter.

Polgar said the game teaches children crucial life skills.

Just like in chess, in life there are no take backs, Polgar said.

“[To succeed] you need balance and pattern recognition that’s only developed through practice. You need to develop your chess intuition through learning from your own mistakes,” Polgar said. “How you deal with the disappointment of bad moves and how you come back from losing or winning determines success. How you effectively deal with all those different things will determine how you end up.”

http://www.susanpolgar.com/biography-of-susan-polgar/

https://worldchesshof.org/hof-inductee/susan-polgar

https://www.lubbockonline.com/article/20100911/OPINION/309119850

Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar Checkmates Her Way Into The World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis A little girl from a Communist country armed with only a chess board would find her way to freedom by pushing pawns.

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