Rebel queen The Cold War, misogyny, and the making of a grandmaster

Decorated chess player Polgar offers a granular, behind-the-scenes look at her path to success in this illuminating if somewhat narrowly focused memoir. Polgar was born in Hungary in 1969. Her father, László, harbored a longstanding obsession with genius, and he decided to home-school Polgar in a single subject in an attempt to make her one. She rapidly developed into a chess expert, claiming the title of top-ranked woman in the world by age 15. Still, she faced prejudice: though Polgar qualified, in 1986, for the Men's World Championship, she was barred from participating, and the International Chess Federation allotted extra points to "every female player on the planet" except her, due to her alleged advantage from having played against so many men. Still, Polgar became the first-ever woman to earn the grandmaster title, and the only player of any gender to win the chess triple crown. Though Polgar sticks mostly to her chess career, she also touches on motherhood, her two marriages, and her establishment of chess schools in the United States. Chess lovers will be inspired. Agent: David Vigliano, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. (Mar.)

The allure of chess. Hungarian-born chess grandmaster Polgar, winner of the world's six most prestigious chess crowns, recounts a triumphant career that began when she was 3. Excited by a chess set she discovered in a beat-up cabinet, she was eager to learn how to play with the enticing new toys. Her father incorporated chess into her homeschooling, teaching her moves for one piece at a time, gradually building up to openings and strategies. Clearly a prodigy, Polgar entered her first tournament when she was 41/2, winning against older girls. In 1979, at age 10, she became the youngest person to earn official rating through the International Chess Federation. Although Hungary repeatedly refused to grant her a passport to leave the communist Eastern Bloc, publicity about her prowess soon led the government to relent. Competing internationally, she rapidly ascended in stature. In 1983, she ranked among the top 10 female players in the world. Polgar's two younger sisters also became enamored of chess, proving to be talented as well: At the 1988 Olympiad, the three staged a "gold medal coup." Besides striving to win, Polgar also devoted herself to publicizing chess and attracting new players. As a young mother in New York, she set up a chess school in her neighborhood; she took a position as a coach at Texas Tech University and Webster University in St. Louis, where, in November 2023, she was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. Throughout her career, Polgar rose above considerable challenges: from those who believed that women shouldn't compete against men; from political threats to her and her family; from bitter animosity from a woman champion; and from virulent antisemitism at home and abroad. The game sustained her. A champion's engaging memoir. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.