Judit Polgár

NEW EXCLUSIVE
  • Chess Grandmaster & World Chess Hall of Fame Member
  • Greatest Female Chess Player of All Time
  • Educational Ambassador, Author, and Creator of the Judit Polgar Method

Chess Grandmaster Judit Polgár is the International Chess Federation's official greatest female chess player of all time. At the age of 12, Polgár took the lead in the adult women’s world ranking, which she would hold for the next 26 years. By 14, she was already a two-time Women's Chess Olympic Champion (1988, 1990). Polgár won two further silver medals as member of the Hungarian men's team. At the age of 15 years and 4 months, she became a male international grandmaster, breaking Bobby Fischer's age record. In October 2005, Polgár ranked 8th in the absolute world ranking, as the first and, to date, the only female top 10 chess player. Polgár gave the informative and entertaining TED Talk “Giving checkmate is always fun,” and her talks on breaking the glass ceiling and strategic decision-making have delighted audiences worldwide.

Since retiring, Polgár has focused on the international promotion of the sport of chess, writing, and the Judit Polgár Chess Foundation. The World Chess Hall of Fame inductee has authored many books on chess, including Chess Palace, the Best European Learning Materials award-winning program now used by 40K children daily. Polgár has been an expert commentator at major international tournaments. Polgár has spoken at TED Conference, Morgan Stanley, CITI Bank, Exxon, the Warwick Economics Summit, and McKinsey: “We collectively think the speech Ms. Polgar gave during her presentation at our Executive event in September was excellent.”

 


Judit  Polgár headshot
Judit  Polgár photo 3
Judit  Polgár photo 2
Past Hosts Include:
  • TED Conference
  • European Commission
  • Morgan Stanley
  • CITI Bank
  • Boston Consulting Group
  • SAP
  • Citywire
  • Bosch
  • Exxon
  • Warwick Economics Summit
Rave Reviews About Judit Polgár
We collectively think the speech Ms. Polgar gave during her presentation at our Executive event in September was excellent.

Judit Polgár: Giving checkmate is always fun | TED Archive - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Judit Polgár
Expand all >

Breaking the Chess Board’s Glass Ceiling

Chess Grandmaster JUDIT POLGÁR began playing chess at the age of 5, but her parents had decided before she was born that she was going to be a genius. By 6, she was competing with adult men – a shocking visual for the world. In this entertaining and motivational talk, Judit shares her determination, ...

Chess Grandmaster JUDIT POLGÁR began playing chess at the age of 5, but her parents had decided before she was born that she was going to be a genius. By 6, she was competing with adult men – a shocking visual for the world. In this entertaining and motivational talk, Judit shares her determination, perseverance, and the mindset she needed to challenge the very top male players in the world.

How AI is Changing the Sport of Chess

The sport of chess has contributed hugely to scientific developments in the past three decades – from providing a rich testing ground for studies on cognitive skill research and neuroscience, to standing in as the most common reference point for the development of computing – Can this computer progr ...

The sport of chess has contributed hugely to scientific developments in the past three decades – from providing a rich testing ground for studies on cognitive skill research and neuroscience, to standing in as the most common reference point for the development of computing – Can this computer program beat a chess champion in a game?

With the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, Chess Grandmaster JUDIT POLGÁR explores how it will change the sport of chess. In this surprising talk, Judit shares a unique perspective on the ways AI will transform every aspect of our lives, work, and research. Can AI outperform humans in chess? What was the turning point? Is AI an enemy or a friendly competitor, pushing us to play our best?

Strategic Thinking and Decision-Making

When we talk about strategy and decision-making, we are talking about chess. The sport of chess is an accurate and elegant training ground for not only theories on strategy, but practical lessons in strategic thinking and decision-making that can be learned by anyone. Chess Grandmaster and education ...

When we talk about strategy and decision-making, we are talking about chess. The sport of chess is an accurate and elegant training ground for not only theories on strategy, but practical lessons in strategic thinking and decision-making that can be learned by anyone. Chess Grandmaster and educational ambassador JUDIT POLGÁR competed for three decades with the very best chess players in the world, defeating the biggest legends of the game: Kasparov, Anand, and many more. In this compelling talk, Judit reveals how to develop good strategies and learn to make better decisions for your business and your life.

Facebook  Instagram  X 
(-)
Speaker News

Chess Grandmaster Judit Polgár on how AI can help business leaders with strategy & innovation

With the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, Chess Grandmaster JUDIT POLGÁR explores how it will change the sport of chess, and what this means for the world of business. Since Turing developed the first computer chess program in 1950, chess has been the battleground where new technology is tested for its potential risks, and benefits, for human innovation. Judit shares a unique perspective on the ways AI will transform every aspect of our lives, work, and research, “I think that creativity and critical thinking will play a key role alongside artificial intelligence… In chess, we humans are the real controllers.”

Now, game-changing technologies like AI are using chess to test the possibilities for strategy and experimentation. AI’s capacity to analyze a wealth of data provides humans to opportunity to learn and improve based on this analysis, an essential skill for business facing an ever-changing landscape of upheaval. Tap into Judit’s globally recognized voice as an edutainer and chess legend to learn business leaders can reframe their thinking and draw inspiration from the intersection of chess and AI.

Read about how Judit Polgár teamed up with Morgan Stanley >>

Watch Judit Polgár at the Warwick Economics Summit >>

Women Making History: Chess Grandmaster Judit Polgár broke the chess board's glass ceiling

Chess Grandmaster JUDIT POLGÁR is the best female player in chess history. 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. Judit has defeated eleven world champions in classical, rapid, or blitz games.

Since her retirement, Polgár has led the Judit Polgár Chess Foundation and dedicated herself to working on the international promotion of the sport. Judit created a skill-development chess educational methodology, the Judit Polgár Method (Chess Playground, Chess Palace, and ChessPE programs) for children of pre-school and primary school ages. Beyond making history as a competitor, she shares her passion and her methodology worldwide, and offers a distinct perspective on strategic thinking, decision-making, and breaking the glass ceiling to audiences including the TED Conference, Morgan Stanley, CITI Bank, Exxon, the Warwick Economics Summit, and McKinsey.

Watch Judit Polgár speak at the European Education Summit >>

Watch Judit Polgár’s TED Talk >>

(-)
Books by Judit Polgár
(-)
Press & Media
(-)
Ideas for the Meeting Planner
(-)
Biography

The best female player in chess history.

In 1989, at the age of 12, Judit Polgár 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, Polgár has been working on the international promotion of the sport, book writing, as well as creating a skill-development chess educational methodology, the Judit Polgar Method (Chess Playground, Chess Palace and ChessPE programs) developed for children of pre-school and primary school ages, with the involvement of experts and educators. Polgár is also a seminar lecturer and a TED speaker. She has been appointed as UN WOMEN Planet 50–50 Champion and an expert commentator at major international 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.

Judit is married and the mother of two children.