| NAME: | Judit Polgar |
| BIRTHDATE: | July 23, 1976 |
| BIRTHPLACE: | Budapest, Hungary |
| CREDENTIALS: | Became an International Grandmaster by winning the Hungarian championship in 1991. At only fifteen years and five months of age, this made her the youngest grandmaster in history. In the April 2005 FIDE ratings, she was listed as the number eight player in the world, easily the highest ranking for any woman in history. |
| MODUS OPERANDI: |
Excels at defense and enjoys the counter attack. Respected as an aggressive player famous for her ability to play well under time pressure. Especially enjoys the creativity involved with the game. For me chess is certainly more than a game - it is my profession. Chess embodies art and creativity. Twenty years ago it was much more of a creative activity than it is today. In those days you had to mainly rely on your own creativity but today there are many other factors such as computers and trainers, which can outweigh that creativity. |
| BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: |
Learned chess as a young child from her father, who hoped to show that genius could be taught if children are educated in a specialist subject, such as chess, from a very young age. Her two older sisters, Zsuzsa and Zsofia, are also outstanding chess players. She is the highest ranked woman chess player in the world. She lives in Hungary with her husband and son. Her fan clubs are world wide. |