E-Books →Rebel Queen The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Grandmaster

Born to a poor Jewish family in Cold War Budapest, Susan Polgar would emerge astheone of thegreatest female chessplayersthe world had ever seen-the highestrated female player on the planet and the first woman to earn the men's Grandmaster title. As a teenager in 1986, she became the first woman to qualify for the men's World Chess Championshipcycle, later achieving the game's triple crown, holdingWorld Championship titles in three major chess time formats.
Yet at every turn, she was pitted against a sexist culture, a hostile Communist government, vicious antisemitism, and powerful enemies. She endured sabotage and betrayal, state-sponsored intimidation, and violent assault. And she overcame all of it tobreak the game's long-standing gender barrier andclaim her place at thepinnacleof professionalchess, before going on to coach other players and build two separate college chess dynasties.
Before her improbable rise, it was taken for granted that women were incapable of excellence in the game of chess. Susan Polgar single-handedly disproved this belief.