Judit Polgar
Notable Games

Judit Polgar

16 celebrated games · 747 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 747 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1991 Tolnai, Tibor vsPolgar, Judit 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation 48 moves HUN-ch Her win over Tibor Tolnai at the 1991 Hungarian Championship — a Sicilian Kan as Black — from the event where, at fifteen, she became the youngest grandmaster in history, breaking Bobby Fischer's thirty-year-old record.
  • 1993 Polgar, Judit vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense, Zaitsev Hybrid 42 moves Budapest m A Closed Ruy Lopez win from the ten-game Budapest 1993 match the sixteen-year-old took 5½–4½ over former World Champion Boris Spassky.
  • 1993 Polgar, Judit vsKhalifman, Alexander 1-0 Lion Defense: Anti-Philidor, Lion's Cave 19 moves Seville op A 19-move miniature at the Seville open crushing future FIDE World Champion Alexander Khalifman: 15.Ndb5 wins the queen and the game is over.
  • 1994 Polgar, Judit vsBareev, Evgeny 1-0 French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation, Main Line 41 moves Madrid A French (Burn Variation) win over Evgeny Bareev from the Madrid 1994 Magistral, where she finished clear first with 7/9 — the greatest tournament triumph of her career to that point.
  • 1994.10.22 Shirov, Alexei vsPolgar, Judit 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation 29 moves Buenos Aires Sicilian Judit's own choice as her best-ever combination — a Sicilian Taimanov as Black at the Buenos Aires 1994 Sicilian theme tournament, 16…Ne3 unleashing a knight-storm that wins on the spot against Alexei Shirov.
  • 1995 Polgar, Judit vsShirov, Alexei 1-0 Modern Defense: Standard Line 21 moves Donner Memorial A 21-move demolition of Alexei Shirov at the 1995 Donner Memorial: 15.Nxd6 and 19.Rd7+ tear open the Modern Defence.
  • 1996.07.25 Polgar, Judit vsIvanchuk, Vassily 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Neo-Modern Variation, Early Deviations 43 moves Novgorod 3rd A sharp Sicilian Richter-Rauzer win over world-elite Vassily Ivanchuk at the Novgorod 1996 super-tournament, refuting his 15…Rxc3 exchange sacrifice.
  • 1998.01.22 Polgar, Judit vsAnand, Viswanathan 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack 56 moves Hoogovens Judit's own pick as her finest positional game — a Najdorf English Attack ground down over 56 moves against Viswanathan Anand at Wijk aan Zee 1998.
  • 1999.04.06 Polgar, Judit vsAnand, Viswanathan 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit 34 moves Dos Hermanas 10th Judit's own choice as her overall best game — the Perenyi Gambit piece sacrifice (8.Nf5) that blew away Viswanathan Anand in a Sicilian Scheveningen at Dos Hermanas 1999.
  • 2002.10.29 Polgar, Judit vsMamedyarov, Shakhriyar 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Open, Karpov Gambit 25 moves Olympiad-35 A 25-move checkmate on the board at the 2002 Bled Olympiad — 12.Nxf7 launches a king hunt that ends 25.b3#, against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
  • 2003.04.18 Polgar, Judit vsBerkes, Ferenc 1-0 French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation, Main Line 24 moves Budapest Hunguest Hotels Her celebrated 14.g4 novelty: Ferenc Berkes had prepared 14…g4 against the expected 14.Bxa8, so she played 14.g4 herself and mated via the 18.Rh7+ rook sacrifice, Budapest 2003.
  • 2003.10.12 Polgar, Judit vsKarpov, Anatoly 1-0 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line 26 moves Hoogeveen Essent Crown The Greek-gift 25.Bxh7+ that forced former World Champion Anatoly Karpov to resign in 26 moves — a Petroff — at the Essent 2003 tournament in Hoogeveen, which Polgar won.
  • 2005.09.30 Polgar, Judit vsKasimdzhanov, Rustam 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack, Perenyi Gambit 42 moves FIDE-Wch A Perenyi Gambit win over reigning FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov at the San Luis 2005 World Championship tournament — the first world-title event a woman ever contested.
  • 2006.10.23 Polgar, Judit vsTopalov, Veselin 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack 39 moves Hoogeveen Essent Crown 10th The first of two wins over reigning world No. 1 Veselin Topalov at Essent 2006 — a Keres Attack as White, 25.Nf6+ cracking his Scheveningen.
  • 2006.10.28 Topalov, Veselin vsPolgar, Judit 0-1 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Keres Defense 56 moves Hoogeveen Essent Crown 10th The second win over world No. 1 Topalov days later at Essent 2006, this time as Black in the Nimzo-Indian — completing a rare double over the reigning No. 1.
  • 2011.03.30 Polgar, Judit vsGuseinov, Gadir 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind, Gurgenidze Variation 62 moves EU-ch 12th Judit's own pick as her best endgame — a Maróczy Bind squeeze converted in a bishop ending at the 2011 European Championship, where she finished equal first among 167 grandmasters.
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