THE POLGAR SISTERS
Chess had always been the domain of males. However, the male domination of this
game experienced a shock when three Hungarian sisters moved into the front line of
world-class players. The feats of the Polgar sisters at early ages, in fact, matched or
surpassed some of those of the greatest male players. In December 1991, at the age of
15, the youngest sister, Judit, achieved the rank of grandmaster against male
competition, replacing Bobby Fischer as the youngest person in chess history to have
won this honour. Although Susan was the eldest, she ranked as the number two woman
player in the world behind Judit, who was acclaimed number one. The other sister, Sofia,
lagged a bit behind: she was "only" the world's sixth-ranked woman player, though,
according to their father, Laszlo, Sofia was the most talented of the three.
The chess-playing Polgar sisters, according to their father, achieved their uncommon
abilities as the result of a carefully planned educational program. A psychologist, Polgar
held a theory that "geniuses" are made, not born, and that early training and
specialization were the key. He set out to prove his theory and determined that his
children would focus on chess when Susan at the age of 4 expressed interest in the
game. From that time Susan - and the others, when they came along - were immersed
in a chess environment. Each of the girls began learning the game at 4, and eventually
their daily training included five or more hours a day of playing time. Physical training
was also included in the schedule for diversion and in order to build endurance for
grueling matches. The sisters never attended school, having been tutored entirely at
home by their parents. Through their mother, Klara, who taught several languages, and
their international travels, the three learned English, Russian, Spanish, German, and
even some Esperanto.
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