Keynote SpeakerJudit Polgar

Judit Polgar is considered to be the best female player in chess history. In 1989, at the age of 12, she took the lead in the adult women’s world ranking, which began with her name for the next 26 years. At the age of 14, she was already a two-time Women’s Chess Olympic Champion (1988, 1990), later, as member of the Hungarian men’s team she won two silver medals (in 2002 and in 2014). At the age of 15 years and 4 months, she became a male international grandmaster, breaking Bobby Fischer’s age record. At the world championship in Las Vegas, in 1999, she reached the quarter-finals and, in 2005, in San Louis, she played for the title of men’s world champion. In October 2005, she ranked 8th in the absolute world ranking, as the first and, to date, the only female top 10 chess player. In 2011, she won a bronze medal at the Men’s European Championship. She defeated eleven world champions in classical, rapid or blitz games.

Since her retirement in 2014, in the framework of Global Chess Festival organized by her as leader of the foundation named after her, she has been working on the international promotion of the sport, book writing, as well as creating a skill-development chess educational methodology (Chess Playground and Chess Palace Program) developed for children of pre-school and primary school ages, with the involvement of experts and educators. Besides, she is a seminar lecturer and a TED speaker, and expert commentator at major international chess tournaments.

Caissa (Chess Oscar), European Chess Legend and Prima Primissima award winner, holder of the Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, Honorary Doctor of the Budapest University of Physical Education, Honorary Citizen of Budapest, member of the World Chess Hall of Fame.

She’s married and the mother of two children.