Happened Today in the Chess World - July 23, 2024

THE REAL "QUEEN GAMBIT"

GM Judit Polgar - Photo: juditpolgar.com

Today is Judit Polgar's birthday; she was born in Budapest, Hungary, on July 23, 1976.
The youngest of three sisters (Susan, a Grandmaster, and Sofia, an International Master), Judit became the world champion in the under-12 and under-14 categories before achieving the title of Grandmaster at 15 years and four months, breaking Bobby Fischer's record.

She participated in two women's chess Olympiads, winning two team gold medals and two individual gold medals, and in eight open Olympiads, securing a team silver medal and an individual bronze medal. Judit was the first (and still the only) woman to surpass 2700 Elo points, with a personal best of 2735 Elo points. In 2007, she was a candidate for the absolute world title and reached eighth place in the world rankings in 2005.

Throughout her career, she defeated eleven world champions: Smyslov, Spassky, Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand, Carlsen, Topalov, Ponomariov, Khalifman, and Kasimdzhanov. In 2014, she announced her retirement from competitive chess at the Tromsø Olympiad.
The following famous conclusion showcases how she defeated Anand.

Judit Polgar (2670)-Viswanathan Anand (2770), Wijk aan Zee 1998
White to move

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