Contents
Judit Polgár
Reaching the world’s top ten in open chess competition.
Grandmaster record · World number eight
- Born
- 23 July 1976
- Birthplace
- Budapest, Hungary
More people
Judit Polgár
Hungarian grandmaster who competed primarily in open events and reached world number eight. She retired from competitive chess in 2014 and developed educational programmes.
Early life
Home education
Her parents educated Judit and her sisters Susan and Sofia at home, with chess central to their studies.
Open competition
Her family encouraged her to compete against male players rather than limit herself to women’s events.
Career
- 1988–1991
Prodigy to grandmaster
Won women’s Olympiad team gold with Hungary and became a grandmaster at fifteen.
- 1990s–2000s
Elite open events
Built an international tournament career and reached the world top ten.
- 2014 onward
Education and commentary
Retired from competition and focused on teaching initiatives, festivals and broadcasting.
Achievements
Grandmaster record
Became the youngest grandmaster at the time, breaking Bobby Fischer’s age record.
World number eight
Reached a peak FIDE rating of 2735.
Victory over Kasparov
Defeated the reigning world number one in a rapid game.
Beyond chess
Chess in education
Created the Chess Palace programme to develop children’s thinking skills.
Family life
Married veterinary surgeon Gusztáv Font and has two children.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Career and achievements ↗Photo: This photo was taken by Przemysław Jahr Autorem zdjęcia jest Przemysław Jahr Wykorzystując zdjęcie proszę podać jako autora: Przemysław Jahr / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
