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Fast move
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Are geniuses born or made? It seems to be a bit of both looking at chess grandmaster Susan Polgar
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Photo: Murali Kumar k.
Check mate Susan Polgar
“I am used to interacting with the media from my childhood — ever since I won my first championship at age four,” laughs Susan Polgar, who has been profiled by National Geographic in “My Brilliant Brain” that chronicles geniuses around the world.
Polgar is a familiar surname in the world of professional chess. Susan is the first female Grandmaster. Susan’s definition of genius is, “primarily somebody who is willing to work hard. You should be obsessed and willing to succeed. True, a small percentage are born with ability, but the ability to sit and work patiently is also a talent.”
Susan discovered chess by accident when she was searching for toys in a cupboard and a chess set fell out. Her father László Polgár, a psychologist, decided to train the little girl in chess. And he didn’t stop with one daughter. The three siblings — Susan, Judith and Sofia are held as examples for the fact that “geniuses can be made”.
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Recalls Susan, “It was weird to play against siblings. It is kind of a funny feeling, you lose in any case or you win both ways.”
Susan won the World Under 16 (Girls) Championship when she was 12, in 1982. And despite restrictions on her freedom to play in international tournaments, by 1984 she was the top-rated female chess player in the world.
However, the gender bias in chess soon caught up with her. In November 1986, the FIDE decided to grant 100 bonus ELO rating points to all active female players except Polgar, which knocked her from the top spot in the January, 1987 FIDE ratings list. Susan alleged the move was “politically motivated” because she mostly played against men.
“Women are as capable as men. When I started playing, there was no woman grandmaster and just a handful of international masters. It was a big challenge as lot of people did not believe it was possible. It was tough but motivated me to prove them wrong. It hurt and I was frustrated at first when I heard that in 1986 I can’t play in the men’s world championship. I am happy that finally I paved the road for women,” she says.
Susan retired from active professional chess in 1999 but has participated in a few tournaments since. She has setup the Susan Polgar Foundation to help young chess players, especially girls. “Chess deserves a lot more recognition. What we need now is fast games, say in 60 seconds, to make it attractive,” she argues.
Her two sons are also chess players at the youth level but Susan says she does not expect them to follow her footsteps. “Parents should ignite interests in their children. In the U.S. for example, at 18, children have no idea what to do but they are a little too late. You must start young.”
ANAND SANKAR
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