Editing Judit Polgár (section)

===Child prodigy===
Trained in her early years by her sister Susan, who ultimately became Women's World Champion, Judit Polgár was a [[chess prodigy]] from an early age. At age 5, she defeated a family friend without looking at the board. After the game, the friend joked: "You are good at chess, but I'm a good cook." Judit replied: "Do you cook without looking at the stove?"<ref name="Lyman_Jan8_89">{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph
 | location=Nashua, New Hampshire
 | date=8 January 1989
| page=F-2
 | last=Lyman
 | first=Shelby
 | title=Talented chess players are all in the Polgar family
}}</ref> However, according to Susan, Judit was not the sister with the most talent, explaining: "Judit was a slow starter, but very hard-working."<ref>{{cite book
 | title=Mindset: the new psychology of success
 | last=Dweck
 | first=Carol S.
 | year=2006
 | publisher=The Random House Publishing Group
 | page=80
 | isbn=978-0-345-47232-8
}}</ref> Polgár described herself at that age as "obsessive" about chess.<ref>{{cite book|title=Counterplay: An Anthropologist at the Chessboard|url=https://archive.org/details/counterplayanthr00desj|url-access=limited|first= Robert R.|last=Desjarlais|page=[https://archive.org/details/counterplayanthr00desj/page/n149 140]|year=2011|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-26739-8 }}</ref> She first defeated an International Master, [[Dolfi Drimer]], at age 10 and a grandmaster, [[Lev Gutman]], at age 11.<ref>{{cite web
 | title=Judit Polgár vs Dolfi Drimer
 | website=[[Chessgames.com]]
 | url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1110730
 | access-date=15 May 2010
 | archive-date=5 March 2010
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305010425/http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1110730
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1110739
 | title=Judit Polgár vs Lev Gutman
 | website=[[Chessgames.com]]
 | access-date=15 May 2010
 | archive-date=4 March 2010
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304235620/http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1110739
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>

{{Chess diagram small
|tright
|Polgár vs. V. Metodiev, <br />[[Albena]] 1986
|rd|  |bd|  |  |  |kd| 
|  |  | qd|pd|  |rd||pd
|pd|  |  |  |  |  |pd| 
|  |  |  |pd|pl|  |ql| 
|  |  |pd|nl|  |  |  | 
|  |  |__|__|  |pl|  | 
|pl|pl|pl|  |  |  |pl| 
|  |  |kl|rl|  |  |  |rl
|1.Rxh7 Rxh7 2.Qxg6+ Kh8 3.Qe8+ with mate to follow. Polgár was 10 years old.<ref>{{cite book|title=Chess:5334 Problems, Combinations and Games|last=Polgár|first=László |publisher=Tess Press|year=1994|isbn=1-884822-31-2}}p.1018 diagram 5231</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Judit Polgár 1 - Metodiev 0|language=es|publisher=Javier Cordero Fernández|url=http://www.ajedrezdeataque.com/11%20Ajedrez%20Femenino/Partidas/2/J_Polgar-Metodiev.htm|access-date=22 July 2011|archive-date=24 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324000942/http://www.ajedrezdeataque.com/11%20Ajedrez%20Femenino/Partidas/2/J_Polgar-Metodiev.htm|url-status=live}} Complete game.</ref>
}}
{{AN chess|pos=egright}}

Judit started playing in tournaments at 6 years old, and by age 9 her rating with the Hungarian Chess Federation was 2080. She was a member of a chess club in Budapest, where she would get experience from master level players.<ref name="SchonbergNYT"/> In 1984 in Budapest, Sophia and Judit, at the time 9 and 7 years of age, respectively, played two games of blindfold chess against two masters, which they won. At one point the girls complained that one of their opponents was playing too slowly and suggested a clock should be used.<ref name="Hearst"/>

In April 1986, 9-year-old Judit played in her first rated tournament in the U.S., finishing first in the unrated section of the New York Open, winning US$1,000.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press
 | page=A2
 | date=7 April 1986
| title=Young masters
 | volume=102
 | number=284
}}</ref> All three Polgár sisters competed. Susan, 16, competed in the grandmaster section and had a victory against GM [[Walter Browne]], and Sophia, 11, finished second in her section, but Judit gathered most of the attention in the tournament. Grandmasters would drop by to watch the serious, quiet child playing.<ref name="SchonbergNYT"/> She won her first seven games before [[draw (chess)|drawing]] the final game. Although the unrated section had many of the weaker players in the Open, it also had players of expert strength who were foreign to the United States and had not been rated yet. Milorad Boskovic related a conversation with Judit's sixth-round opponent, a Yugoslav player he knew to be a strong expert: "He told me he took some chances in the game because he couldn't believe she was going to attack so well."<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=Schenectady Gazette
 | agency=Associated Press
 | date=10 April 1986
| title=Hungarian, 9, Wins Tourney Sisters Share Chess Ability
 | page=3
 | volume=XCII
 | number=165
}}</ref> Not able to speak English, her mother interpreted as she told a reporter her goal was to be a chess professional. When the reporter asked her if she would be world champion one day, Judit answered: "I will try."<ref name="SchonbergNYT">{{cite news
 | newspaper=St. Petersburg Times
 | last=Schonberg
 | first=Harold C.
 | page=19A
 | title=The Polgar sisters: Hungary's triple threat at chess
 | volume=102
 | number=259
 | location=St. Petersburg, Florida
}}</ref>

In late 1986, 10-year-old Judit defeated 52-year-old Romanian IM [[Dolfi Drimer]] in the Adsteam Lidums International Tournament in [[Adelaide]], Australia. [[Edmar Mednis]] said he played his best game of the tournament in beating Judit: "I was careful in that game... Grandmasters don't like to lose to 10-year-old girls, because then we make the front page of all the papers."<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph
 | date=8 February 1987
| title=Younger sisters are also proficient
 | last=Lyman
 | first=Shelby
 | location=Nashua and Southern New Hampshire
 | volume=1
 | number=45
}}</ref>

In April 1988, Polgár made her first International Master norm in the International B section of the New York Open.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph
 | location=Nashua, New Hampshire
 | date=24 April 1988
| page=F-2
 | last=Lyman
 | first=Shelby
 | title=Tournaments attract 1,060 players
}}</ref> In August 1988, she won the under-12 "Boys" section of the [[World Youth Chess Championship|World Youth Chess and Peace Festival]] in [[Timișoara]], Romania.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Globe and Mail
 | last=Berry
 | first=Jonathan
 | location=Toronto
 | date=1 October 1988
| page=C16
 | title=Youth tourneys are growing trend
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url=http://www.torneionline.com/loto_tornei_d.php?codice=1988ROU03&tipo=1
 | title=C.to Mondiale U12
 | website=torneionline.com
 | publisher=Italian Chess Federation
 | access-date=27 February 2015
 | archive-date=7 October 2014
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007205345/http://www.torneionline.com/loto_tornei_d.php?codice=1988ROU03&tipo=1
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref> In October 1988, she finished first in a 10-player [[round-robin tournament]] in London, scoring 7–2, for a half point lead over Israeli GM [[Yair Kraidman]].<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Toronto Star
 | title=Challenge meet largest ever
 | page=M21
 | date=4 February 1989
| last=Day
 | first=Lawrence
}} note: Day incorrectly gives Judit's age as 10. Score of Polgár–Hennigen game is provided with brief analysis.</ref> With these three results, she completed the requirements for the International Master title; at the time, she was the youngest player ever to have achieved this distinction.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph
 | location=Nashua, New Hampshire
 | date=30 October 1988
| page=F-2
 | last=Lyman
 | first=Shelby
 | title=Hungarian girl may be next world champion
}}</ref> Both [[Bobby Fischer]] and [[Garry Kasparov]] were 14 when they were awarded the title; Polgár was 12.<ref name="Spoke_Nov2_1988">{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Spokesman-Review
 | title=Girl stuns chess world
 | location=Spokane, Wash
 | date=2 November 1988
| agency=Associated Press
 | page=A1
}}</ref> It was during this time that former world champion [[Mikhail Tal]] said Polgár had the potential to win the World Championship.<ref name="LymanOct301988"/>

[[File:Judit und Sofia Polgar 1988 Thessaloniki.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Judit with sister [[Sofia Polgar|Sofia]] at [[Thessaloniki]], 1988]]
Judit was asked about playing against boys instead of in the girls' section of tournaments: "These other girls are not serious about chess... I practice five or six hours a day, but they get distracted by cooking and work around the house."<ref name="Spoke_Nov2_1988"/>

In November 1988, Judit and her sisters, along with [[Ildikó Mádl]], represented Hungary in the Women's section of the [[28th Chess Olympiad]] in [[Thessaloniki]]. The International Chess Federation would not permit the Polgárs to play against men in team competitions.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Toronto Star
 | agency=Reuters
 | page=D18
 | date=26 December 1988
| title=3 sisters moving up in male world of chess
}}</ref> Prior to the tournament, [[Eduard Gufeld]], Soviet GM and team coach for the Soviet women's team, dismissed the Polgárs: "I believe that these girls are going to lose a good part of their quickly acquired image in the 28th Olympiad... Afterward we are going to know if the Hungarian sisters are geniuses or just women!"<ref>{{cite news|author=Robert Byne|title=Chess|date=21 March 1989|work=The New York Times|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0713FF3E590C728EDDAA0894D1484D81|access-date=5 April 2011}}</ref> However, the Hungarian women's team won the championship, which marked the first time it was not won by the Soviet Union. Judit played board 2 and finished the tournament with the highest score of 12½–½ to win the individual gold medal.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Toronto Star
 | last=Day
 | first=Lawrence
 | title=Soviet Union captures World team championship
 | date=17 December 1988
| page=M21
}}</ref> She also won the brilliancy prize for her game against Pavlina Angelova.<ref>{{cite news
 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/10/nyregion/chess-004389.html
 | last=Byrne
 | first=Robert
 | title=Chess
 | work=The New York Times
 | date=10 January 1989
| access-date=20 April 2010
}}</ref>

In the January 1989 Elo rating list, at the age of 12, she was rated 2555, which was number 55 in the world and 35 rating points ahead of the Women's World Champion [[Maia Chiburdanidze]]. In the six months since the previous list, she had gained a remarkable 190 rating points.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Sun-Herald
 | date=22 January 1989
| last=Koshnitsky
 | first=Garry
 | title=Polgar highest rated woman
 | page=156
 | location=Sydney, Australia
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url=http://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/Elo198901e.html
 | title=FIDE Rating List :: January 1989
 | publisher=Olimpbase.org
 | access-date=27 February 2015
 | archive-date=4 January 2017
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104050052/http://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/Elo198901e.html
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref> Judit's quiet and modest demeanour at the board<ref name="Globe_Feb5_92"/> contrasted with the intensity of her playing style. [[David Norwood]], British GM, in recalling Judit beating him when he was an established player and she was just a child, described her as "this cute little auburn-haired monster who crushed you."<ref name="Telegraph_Allot2002">{{cite news
 | title=Queen takes all
 | first=Serena
 | last=Allott
 | date=16 January 2002
 | publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited
 | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/3294892/Queen-takes-all.html
 | access-date=25 April 2010
 | location=London
 | archive-date=31 March 2022
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331171125/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/3294892/Queen-takes-all.html
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref> British journalist [[Dominic Lawson]] wrote about 12-year-old Judit's "killer" eyes and how she would stare at her opponent: "The irises are so grey, so dark they are almost indistinguishable from the pupils. Set against her long red hair, the effect is striking."<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Age
 | last=Lawson
 | first=Dominic (Spectator)
 | title=Mastering the world of chess
 | date=15 November 1988
| page=11
 | location=Melbourne, Australia
 | number=41,642
}}</ref>

Before age 13, she had broken into the top 100 players in the world and the ''[[British Chess Magazine]]'' declared: "Judit Polgár's recent results make the performances of Fischer and Kasparov at a similar age pale by comparison."<ref name="Lyman_Jan8_89"/> British GM [[Nigel Short]] called Judit "one of the three or four greatest [[Chess prodigy|chess prodigies]] in history".<ref name="SI_1990"/> However, Kasparov expressed early doubts: "She has fantastic chess talent, but she is, after all, a woman. It all comes down to the imperfections of the feminine psyche. No woman can sustain a prolonged battle."<ref name="SI_1990">{{cite magazine
 | title=Kid With A Killer Game
 | date=12 February 1990
 | last=Lidz
 | first=Franz
 | magazine=Sports Illustrated
 | url=https://www.si.com/vault/1990/02/12/121504/kid-with-a-killer-game
 | access-date=30 May 2019
 | archive-date=30 May 2019
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530163647/https://www.si.com/vault/1990/02/12/121504/kid-with-a-killer-game
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref> Later in life, however, after he had lost a rapid game against Polgár himself in 2002, Kasparov revised his opinion: "The Polgárs showed that there are no inherent limitations to their aptitude—an idea that many male players refused to accept until they had unceremoniously been crushed by a twelve-year-old with a ponytail."<ref name="HowLifeImitatesChess">{{cite book
 | title=How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom
 | last=Kasparov
 | first=Garry
 | year=2007
 | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA
 | isbn=9781596913875
}}</ref>

In 1989, Polgár tied with [[Boris Gelfand]] for third in the OHRA Open in Amsterdam, earning her first Grandmaster norm.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Toronto Star
 | last=Day
 | first=Lawrence
 | page=M17
 | date=13 January 1990
| title=Gelfand takes first for U.S.S.R.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=De sterkste schaakspeelster ooit |trans-title=The strongest chess player ever |url=https://maxeuwe.nl/en/de-sterkste-schaakspeelster-ooit-2/ |publisher=Max Euwe Centre |language=nl |access-date=25 January 2022 |date=24 April 2020 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125165555/https://maxeuwe.nl/en/de-sterkste-schaakspeelster-ooit-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

By now, numerous books and articles had been written about the Polgár sisters, making them famous even outside of the world of chess. In 1989, American President [[George H. W. Bush]] and his wife Barbara met with the Polgárs during their visit to Hungary.<ref name="Hearst">{{cite book
 | title=Blindford chess: history, psychology, techniques, champions, world records and important games
 | last1=Hearst
 | first1=Eliot
 | last2=Knott
 | first2=John
 | year=2009
 | publisher=McFarland & Company, Ltd.
 | isbn=978-0-7864-3444-2
 | pages=136–137
}}</ref> Although not released until 1996, in 1990 a documentary about children playing chess, ''Chess Kids'', featuring Polgár, was filmed. The documentary did not include an interview with Polgár as her father required payment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chess in the Movies|author=Bill Wall|publisher=chessville.com|url=http://www.chessville.com/billwall/ChessInMovies.htm|access-date=1 July 2011|archive-date=10 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810142938/http://www.chessville.com/billwall/ChessInMovies.htm|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Chess Kids' Documentary a Weak Move|last=Saylor|first=Mark|date=5 September 1997|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-05-ca-28962-story.html|access-date=1 July 2011|archive-date=7 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107114250/http://articles.latimes.com/1997/sep/05/entertainment/ca-28962|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1990, Judit won the Boys section of the under-14 in the World Youth Chess Festival in [[Fond du Lac, Wisconsin]].<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Globe and Mail
 | location=Toronto
 | last=Berry
 | first=Jonathan
 | title=Soviet dark horses dominating U.S. play
 | date=25 August 1990
| page=F10
}}</ref> Also in 1990, Judit and her sisters represented Hungary in the Women's Olympiad, winning the gold medal. It was the last women-only tournament in which Judit would ever participate.<ref name="JuditBio">{{cite web|title=Judit Polgár Biography |publisher=Judit Polgár |url=http://www.polgarjudit.com/biography_en.html |access-date=19 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923164906/http://www.polgarjudit.com/biography_en.html |archive-date=23 September 2010 }}</ref>

In October 1991, Judit finished with 5½–3½, tied for third for fifth position with [[Zoltán Ribli]] and [[John Nunn]], at a tournament in Vienna.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=Toronto Star
 | last=Day
 | first=Lawrence
 | page=J11
 | title=Defending champion loses her 13-year title
 | date=4 January 1992
}} Note: Day writes that with this tournament Polgár "collected her third and final Grandmaster norm". This implies this was sufficient to earn the GM title, but most accounts indicate she won the title with the Hungarian championship in December.</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url=http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Vienna_1991
 | title=Vienna 1991
 | publisher=365Chess.com
 | access-date=8 May 2010
 | archive-date=29 September 2012
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929170613/http://www.365chess.com/tournaments/Vienna_1991
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>