Judit Polgar | Legendary Coaching System, Bobby Fischer, Chess Psychology | C-Squared

Judit Polgar is the greatest female chess player of all time, achieving the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, at the time the youngest to have done so, breaking the record previously held by former World Champion Bobby Fischer.
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00:00 - Intro
00:53 - Induction into the World Chess Hall of Fame
02:13 - Retirement
06:58 - Competitiveness
12:12 - Childhood training
18:05 - Compensating weaknesses
21:55 - Generational artistry in chess vs engine evaluation
29:08 - Polgar group training
30:36 - The Polgar family vs outside skepticism
34:16 - Finding inspiration in adversity
36:22 - Handling setbacks
41:21 - Staying motivated after doing poorly in tournaments
42:56 - Beating world champions
48:09 - Bobby Fischer
53:53 - Women competing in chess
55:45 - Chess and psychology
1:03:55 - Upcoming for Judith and sign off

[@threethrushes]

Fabiana Caruana is the next generation's Yasser Seirawan - charmingly bookish, unfailingly thoughtful, and disarmingly polite.

[@salemyo2525]

Fabiana?

[@CommunistBasketballLeague]

Completely disagree. He needs more charisma.

[@ragsreachrich]

@@CommunistBasketballLeague - He will soon have but not necessarily at the level of Yasser because Yasser has this special charisma ever since.

[@Philip8825]

Agree … he’s very charming, easy to listen to

[@baoboumusic]

I prefer Fabiano any day of the week over Seirawan and twice on Sunday.

[@alcubierrevj]

Judit oozes poise, confidence, gravity and experience. Legend doesn't begin to describe her. Kudos for Christian and Fabi getting this solid gold interview.

[@gelatinousjoe7979]

She must’ve been a dynamite personality in her hay day

[@fabitostrong1700]

You can just feel the respect these boys have for this LEGENG.

[@ilikegeorgiabutiveonlybeen6705]

legging

[@BlindBishop]

LEGENGARY

[@camilohiche4475]

Your speech is LAGGING

[@JonathanCodes-ol1cm]

LEGENG

[@viharikrishnan5588]

Boys the disrespect

[@shubhendranathsingh9888]

fabi makes every question look like he is genuinely interested in. Almost like those questions are personal questions and yet they're so professional questions. Man is a natural host

[@manuelignacioarturoocaranz1185]

He is so sharp and clear. Eloquent, well mannered. It is a pleasure to listen to him talk about absolutely anything

[@JM-tj5qm]

Because he is genuinely interested

[@HenryTho]

Fabi is so well-mannered

[@jgone4856]

He's almost robotic. Not in a bad way, just seems like every word is precisely chosen

[@joeymurdazalotmore6355]

It's called class, a way to behave grown up like

[@kc910]

@@jgone4856It’s natural, rather than consciously “chosen”, for some people. However, it would not be a bad thing for the population in general to develop the skill of putting more thought into the words they choose before they come out of their mouth. 😊

[@justinbieber8028]

Fabi the type of guy to sit on the toilet just to fart

[@jgone4856]

@@justinbieber8028 so methodical

[@patrickjmt]

It is interesting how tangible chess is for Judit; it is something you eat and drink and partake in, not just think about. Watch as she rubs her fingers as she talks about positions. It is physical as much as mental, as much as eating an apple or holding a holding the hand of someone you love :) You can see the respect everyone has for Judit; I'd love to meet her one day and just be in her presence for a few minutes and soak it in and listen to her, it would feel like basking in the sunshine. The life she has had and her willingness to share about it shows what an amazing ambassador for chess she is, not to mention what an 'all round, general kick-ass person' she seems to be. Thanks Judit, Fabi and Christian!

[@emmanuelparvez5234]

Hey, I've seen your math videos!

[@uygar84]

From Polgár's Wikipedia page: The former World Champion Garry Kasparov wrote that, based upon [Judit Polgár's] games, "if to 'play like a girl' meant anything in chess, it would mean relentless aggression."

[@MrSupernova111]

That's after he cheated against her then bad mouth her. Its best to ignore anything Kasparov has to say in relation to female chess players.

[@DJFracus]

@@MrSupernova111 at least he changed his mind on female chess players

[@donramanayake1505]

@@DJFracus I am not sure he did. I'm pretty sure I saw a segment where Judith interviews him and he says something crazy - rants on about her being a statistical outlier, how women cannot play chess with men. Regardless of right or wrong wrong he made every effort to make her uncomfortable without any regard to what he was saying. She handled herself with class and did not bite. I respect him insanely as a chess player but his views on this I disregard. I'll be honest I forget how long ago this was, so potentially you are citing something more recent.

[@DJFracus]

@@donramanayake1505 Yes, he did have controversial comments in the 80's/90's about women in chess and how they can't be as good as men. I'm talking about later than that when he changed his mind. In 2002 he said "The Polgárs showed that there are no inherent limitations to their aptitude-an idea that many male players refused to accept until they had unceremoniously been crushed by a twelve-year-old with a ponytail." He also said he was wrong about women in chess and that a female world champion is theoretically possible.

[@MrSupernova111]

@@donramanayake1505 . You're absolutely right. The other person commenting is wrong. Karparov did that interview that you mentioned in recent years - not in the 80s or 90s.

[@m0skit0]

In case you were wondering (W/L/D): Carlsen vs Polgar 11/2/5 Kramnik vs Polgar 23/1/21 Kasparov vs Polgar 12/1/4 Topalov vs Polgar 16/15/15 Karpov vs Polgar 21/14/26 Anand vs Polgar 28/10/18 Spassky vs Polgar 5/2/7 And of course: Caruana vs Polgar 0/1/0

[@anomaly3215]

it's month, date, year, anything else is rubbish

[@fictitiousforce9048]

@@anomaly3215do you mean day/week/year?

[@camilohiche4475]

It's Win/Loss/Draw you idiots

[@Rhythmic_Ocean]

@@anomaly3215 I think it's win/ draw/ loss

[@zkprintf]

What records are these? Doesn't look like classical, the total amount of games seems way too high.

[@sub.consciousnz1312]

You guys are both creating & documenting chess history here. It's quite unique! Some beautiful, nuanced, complex ideas are being explored. Super interesting, thankyou.

[@myselfservant4433]

I heard her live commentary on one of the tournaments. She was still just worlds above the other GMs in her ability to grasp positions.

[@gelatinousjoe7979]

Especially the tactics, and parsing sharp positions

[@qaz010wsx]

Judit is a legend. No doubts about it.

[@MrSupernova111]

Your best podcast so far! She deserves a movie made after her. Thank you for having the amazing Judit Polgar on your show! Cheers!

[@kc910]

There are films about her but not in English that I’ve been able to find although it’s been a while since I e looked. She has a section in her website that lists them.

[@MrSupernova111]

@@kc910 . There is a documentary called "My Brilliant Mind" with her. But its not truly about her. I would love to see a dedicated documentary about her. Thanks for the info.

[@manisdogfish]

There's a documentary on the Polgar family called, "The Polgar Variant" that is excellent. You have to contact the production company to get ahold of it.

[@davidhoekstra4620]

In a way the Queens Gambit is about her.

[@youtubecensoringcomments7427]

Lol that is the unfairness of this.. leko, topalov and kramnik were wat better than her... No movie was called nor series about them because they are men not women lol

[@randybailin4902]

Judit on the best chess podcast there is. What's not to like? The Polgar family has always fascinated me. Laszlo had a vision and his talented daughters were willing pupils.

[@jedillavhart]

Seriously, her life should be turned into a Netflix movie! Judit is such an inspiration to many.

[@joefrancisuvf]

That's true but actually the Polgar sisters are apparently the result of an experiment run by their father to see if genius could be nurtured into kids. It worked clearly in her case.

[@slylataupe4272]

Good idea. And margot robbie should play the part 😊

[@manisdogfish]

Netflix would probably mess it up and not do her justice. Someone more reputable should handle her story.

[@manisdogfish]

There's already an excellent documentary of the Polgar family called, "The Polgar Variant". You have to email the production company to get ahold of it.

[@mubarkqardas46]

Netflix would make her from africa.

[@Subhrajits]

"When it is little bit bad, that's the most difficult". This is true not only for chess or sports, but for all walks of life.

[@f12mnb]

Great podcast - very much appreciate that with a great guest like Judit Polgar, they let the guest speak! Some guests are not as comfortable and so the hosts need to draw them out, but here she is a good guest - and they let her get things out. Great job!

[@cool7992]

Very worthy podcast, very worthy watching! Great episode you guys, and keep making productive contents to us. Really appreciate! 😊

[@ChessJourneyman]

Your best podcast to date! Topics you have extensive personal experience and interest in, and it shows.

[@MMusic91]

can't believe it took me a month to listen to this. Great interview with one of the greatest legends in chess history!

[@TheMg49]

It's always interesting, informative, and even entertaining to hear what chess greats, such as Judit Polgar, have to say. Another fascinating interview/conversation. Thanks guys, and thanks to Judit Polgar.

[@angeliqueazul8670]

Thank you so much for this amazing episode! Judit is a fascinating person and the conversation flowed naturally and revealed so many interesting aspects. Amazing job!

[@BeammeupSpotty]

wow. how special to get to hear this. thanks a million for your work and for sharing this.

Excellent interview, many thanks for making it happen!

[@ahmedelshnawy3908]

Perfect episode, thank u for these great interviews

[@flamerider1046]

Love it. Keep it coming. Unique chess content that is captivating.👍

[@StevenStJohn-kj9eb]

I enjoy all the interviews with your peers, but these interviews with the legends in the old guard are a real treasure. Hope you have a chance to talk with more hall of famers!

[@seinundzeiten]

her stories about Bobby Fisher was amazing

[@evilrslade]

Judit, the highest rated woman ever. Her rating would include her in the top 20 even today. Great interview, her insights into the world of competitive Chess are gold. Also, Fabi makes a good interviewer, always comes across as erudite and intelligent. Great video.

[@glendamoura1850]

these are too good! amazing job, guys! absolutely love it!

[@alexanderfrost2943]

Holy cow! She's one of my favorite chess player. Thank you for having her here!

[@miquelcanosasanteularia1678]

Been waiting for this podcast

[@fedkarphitchamer9905]

Great pod as always. This one (along with the one with Yasser) is my favorite. Judit is very articulate.

[@Socrates...]

I am glad Judit was able to portray Boby Fischer in a more favourable light.

[@chessloverontwitch]

Finally got to sit down and watch this. I met Susan Polgar years ago but now I have daughters and I will teach them chess but I can only hope that one day they can meet Judit, the greatest of all-time. Thanks for this interview. It means a lot to me personally and especially now that I have two daughters who just love to ask their daddy about chess.

[@LavenderHV]

Loved this episode Judit is a legend ❤️

[@kundachisenga5858]

Highly instructive thank you.... Love you guys ❤️

[@RogerBranch]

Fabi asks such insightful questions!

[@harryh2185]

Wow! There were many interesting insights in this interview!

[@simoontube]

What a fantastic interview

[@SLKCHESS]

Awesome podcast with Judit!

[@drorange2261]

Someone needs to make a blockbuster film about Judith Polgar. This is one case that life is more entertaining than fiction. Fabiano Caruana, could you focus becoming the next world champion please ?

[@gardenvariety9957]

There is a documentary about the Polgar sisters, which I saw at a Jewish film festival. It was quite good, but I can't remember the name.

[@kc910]

@@gardenvariety9957She has them listed on her website.

[@buzzbain3348]

Excellent show. Great questions asked of the great Judith Polgar. This podcast is a breath of fresh air. Points and standings are not the only way to measure greatness. There is also creativity, and she sure played many creative games.

[@WilliamSantos-pq3fp]

Mais um grande episódio!!

[@ryanmyers9081]

I love Judit! Great podcast

[@ragsreachrich]

One of Judit's foremost qualities is that she always stays humble in-spite of her status and accomplishments in chess. Even when she is commentating, she never try to put attention on herself.

[@That_Guy_You_Know]

Excellent podcast. It would be great if you could do another with her.

[@puzzles4breakfast275]

Congratulations Judit....🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@CharlySardoGaming]

One of the best podcasts yet.

[@TheChessMasterBattleofWits]

She is so humble.

[@coxscorner]

Judit is one of my favorite players she was such a tactical monster and attacker.

[@katis999]

Thanks for this :)

[@robwilliams3592]

Great interview... Really enjoyed... Her dads book 5334 chess problems is a real awaking of possibilities'

[@camilohiche4475]

Queen Polgar has spoken. Best podcast ever period. Simple as. End of discussion.

[@Abhishekkumar-st1xr]

Great watch

[@DaaimShabazz]

That narrow view of post-1992 Fischer has been promoted by the media and we don't hear about the charming Fischer throughout his life. There is a very interesting video of him in Iceland singing, reminiscing about music, sports and talking about various topics.

[@Watercolordragon]

Great! Thanks ❤

[@donmasacre4919]

Great podcast.

[@Orwaha]

I wish she would return to play online rapid and blitz. I love seeing the field of players go through it all. Same with Kasparov, I just want to see their styles play.

[@Grandcapi]

Great interview with the great and only Judith!

[@toodle361]

Just a random comment to boost this awesome channel

[@Raventooth]

I found it interesting that Ding, after 26 years of playing, said he would have retired if he had lost to Nepo, even at age 29. It must be intense to be obsessed with chess for decades.

[@Malinor83]

This is a wonderful interview. What an interesting person she is. Thank you!

[@7177YT]

Judit is a pleasure to listen to. Cheers! Some dorky questions though. >.

[@haldunb3848]

I really enjoyed this episode. I hope we will see the Queen in the channel again.

[@thechesslobster2768]

FUCK YEAH. GOAT CHESS PODCAST.

[@sofiazubkova1143]

So interesting!

[@TandemKnights]

Two of the coolest chess players of all time in the same room having a wonderful conversation. Judit was a killer and is an absolute legend of the game. A player with such attacking prowess that she put Kasparov on his heels. I enjoyed the Fischer segment as well, I've read little bits and pieces about his visit with the Polgar family and they don't necessarily match what Judit said in this interview. I seem to remember reading that she did play Fischer but she promised to keep it private....it was a long time ago and I can't recall the source. I do think Fischer was very misunderstood and his legacy is tarnished by certain perspectives that are not always fair. If you think about Fischer's legacy, there are a number of interesting areas that overlooked: 1) He wanted chess to be a true profession in America, where prize funds and pay could subsist a person, like in the Soviet Union, where they received a government stipend to play. 2) Henry Kissinger literally called this man to play in the championship match in 72', to represent the USA versus the 'evil' Soviet Union...true cold war stuff. Fischer did so and then when he played in 92' against Spassky, the same government issues an arrest warrant and a massive fine. Very hypocritical by the USA and, in my estimation, the true source of his later anger. This gets even worse when you realize that Yugoslavia, the country that the USA had sanctions against (which is why Fischer was ordered not to play there) broke up as a country, yet his arrest warrant persisted 3) Bobby never knew his real father and there is substantial evidence that his biological father was Paul Nemenyi, a genius mathematician and physicist form Austro-Hungary. That would explain a lot about Fischer's mind, I mean just look at the photo of Paul Nemenyi and it's hard to not to see the resemblance. The other implication, if this is true, is that Fischer himself was of Jewish decent. That makes some of his later anti-Semitic comments very ironic, in retrospect 4) The Russian collusion that Fischer espoused, and was ridiculed for during his era, was proven to be fact by no less than Kasparov himself. 5) Fischer was a genius but he lacked balance in his life and formal schooling. He dropped out of high school at 16 to devote himself to chess. I get the impression that he and his sister were sort of latch-key kids that more or less raised themselves as his mother worked a lot supporting them. There are other rumors about her being a spy but that is another story 6) I've seen many interviews with Bobby and he was generally warm, funny and often charming and I think that gets lost when he is being discussed. So, you have this beautiful mind, lacking balance, and as he aged he fixated on injustices, perceived or imagined and he grew bitter. Many do not know that he had a Japanese wife and a daughter as well because pf his extreme privacy. One gets the sense that with a proper role model, mentor or father figure, things may have been very different for Fischer. I personally feel that his defeat of the entire Soviet chess machine, pretty much single-handedly, is the greatest "sports" accomplishment of all time. That's why I don't get too hung up on rating points and all that when comparing players because there is rating inflation over time and because that loses the context of both the time and relative rating of others during that time. Great interview, keep up the good work!!

[@hagnuj1070]

A young Bobby with Stockfish would be insane.

[@xaviermoise7187]

That was a nice read. Thanks.

[@ernietollar407]

SO MUCH FOOD FOR THOUGHT HERE

[@markrabideau4067]

Dare I suggest, some day down the road...Fabi for president?

[@jackm4457]

I miss her as a player when she used to put the fear of God into her male opponents. Chess at the top was a man's world before Judit, and it's gone back to the same since her retirement in 2014.

[@abdulnaserbedil2065]

She is a Legend 👏

[@JW-qd3ol]

This is about to be amazing!!

[@chessloversonly]

Amazing story! There really needs to be a movie or a book made about her and her life. It's so interesting, it really needs to be promoted more for people to know about!

[@DaaimShabazz]

Judit was my favorite player until she retired. Excellent question by Fabiano at 56:20. I believe we do girls a disservice by putting limitations as "first girl" "top girl" "highest-rate girl" as opposed to "top player" "IM" "GM" without the labels. We automatically assume a woman's goal should be a "W" title instead of the overall title. It's regressive and limiting.

[@ruanpablo2082]

Judit is Amazing

[@yhayon]

Judit is on different level

[@simon10273]

I enjoy this content, thanks guys. Although the modesty is endearing, Fabiano is one of the world’s strongest and most interesting players. I would enjoy it if he could share more stories about himself and his origins as a chess player.

[@sekk157]

Can we get a Polgar Sisters movie please? Legendary family.

[@therealG-iz5cv]

Very interesting I've heard of Judit but had never watched her speak before

[@DawnPatrol101]

Judit is an absolute legend.

[@user-jm8fi4fs2l]

WARNING, unsolicited advice below: Love your podcast guys, but it looks weird when you zoom in onto Christian using the general view camera. The picture goes from crystal clear to blurry which is very noticeable. An extra one might help.

[@Altair584]

Valid advice, I noticed this immediately and checked if my youtube quality was auto'd on 360p.

[@Ryanmuniverse]

Can u guys start boosting the audio a bit? Playing this in my car I can only hear it going down a perfectly smooth road otherwise I hit any bump and I gotta go back to hear what was said cuz its so quiet

[@robmorefield6540]

Omg I love Judit

[@davidquinn9676]

I'm surprised by the comment about Hou Yifan at 58:00. From a young age she focused on open tournaments and considered the women's titles secondary and didn't even bother playing for them. What more could she have done? Does she mean Hou wasn't really expecting and fighting to win? I thought she was at least for a while, but was overwhelmed and could not sustain and improve at that level. But I don't know her close up.

[@AG-ld6rv]

GM Judit made GM Garry rage quit and storm off lmao couldn't handle getting beaten by a woman.

[@siddharthb2633]

call kramnik!! Volodya will make a gr8 guest.

[@tyronjohnson78]

Judit is the GOAT.

[@youtubecensoringcomments7427]

She is not

[@vixr9557]

I haven't done watching yet I hope I hear them asking Judit about her style and how she approached game not her projects outside of board

[@davidhale8034]

Just found this episode. Judith!!!!!!!!!

[@markcauley5797]

She is such an icon. So delightful and impressive. What a lady

[@BharadwajSubramaniamdude]

Bring vishy!!🙌

[@fahmiluthfi7991]

Every time i see her, it always struck me, She and her sister are the most recognizable and successful children educational experiment ever commit in pedagogy worlds. Her dad conceived this idea when he was unmarried and married her mother with the consent that their kid will be train in one specific skillset, which happened to be chess, a game his oldest (Susan) choose.

[@vinothkumar1220]

26:20 What's the story on Leko Kramnik?

[@user-bk9fk2tq2z]

Judit is also a very good Chess teacher.

[@Em4gdn1m]

🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

[@DanielVictorDVZero]

1:02:30 Now I wonder if the player who reached her was Ding. If I'm not mistaken, he had mentioned seeking a therapist before the WCC. Carlsen decided in December to not defend the title, which would kinda fit the timeline here, near when Ding would have be chosen to play against Nepo. Maybe before the match no one really knew how Ding was feeling mentally, but from what he has said, he had been feeling broken at that time already.

[@mathildewesendonck7225]

But she was talking about the Hungarian team

[@etypiccolo]

Judit is number one donny

[@lesilluminations1]

Judit, always with the jolly laugh.

[@hellostranger2012]

ending was abrupt. seems like something has been edited out

[@ceccavara]

Juditlegendary