Netflix’s smash 2020 miniseries The Queen’s Gambit told a fictional tale of how Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy, rose to become one of the world’s best players.
The best real-life comparison is undoubtedly Judit Polgár, whose own story now takes the spotlight. The history-making Hungarian grandmaster, 49, is the focus of the documentary movie Queen of Chess, which begins streaming Friday, February 6, on Netflix.
According to Tudum, the project follows Polgár’s “David-and-Goliath mission to become the top chess player of her generation,” and dispel the stereotype that girls and women couldn’t compete with male champions. Along the way, she defeated some of the greatest players in history and blazed a trail for a new generation of players.
With the movie’s release, here’s everything you need to know about Polgár’s chess career and life today.
How Did Polgár Learn to Play Chess?
Polgár was introduced to chess at an early age, and completely by design.
Born July 23, 1976, in the Hungarian capital Budapest, Judit is the daughter of László and Klára Polgár. According to Chess.com, her father László, an educational psychologist, wanted to prove that any child is capable of exceptional achievement when trained in a specialized subject from an early age.
So, László homeschooled Judit and her older sisters Susan and Sofia and made chess their primary focus. “Of course, I didn’t grow up in a regular family. I knew from a very early age that we were a very strange family from the outside,” Judit told Chess.com. “When I went to places to do some sport, and spoke with other kids my age, they were always looking at me like I was something special. They were very curious about what kind of creature I was, not going to school, and instead, traveling around the world to play chess.”
The girls faced pushback from the Hungarian government and chess federation because László insisted they compete against male players. According to Judit, the family’s passports were even revoked to prevent the siblings from attending tournaments abroad.
Still, true to their father’s theory, all three sisters became successful players—but Judit quickly emerged as a prodigy.
How Did Polgár Become the World’s Youngest Chess Grandmaster at 15?
According to the World Chess Hall of Fame, Polgár was ranked among the top 100 players in the world by age 12. She also made history as a 15-year-old, then surpassing Bobby Fischer as the youngest player in history to achieve grandmaster—a title awarded by the International Chess Federation for players who achieve a 2,500 player rating and complete additional criteria called “norms.”
Over the course of her career, Polgár defeated 11 current or former world champions in rapid or classical chess, and the documentary largely focuses on her rivalry with Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov—considered by many the greatest player in history. According to The Guardian, their first ever match in Linares, Spain, ended in controversy after Kasparov moved his knight, then attempted to switch squares. Polgár believed his hand had left contact with the piece prior to the change, a violation of the rules, but an official ruled the move clean and Kasparov went on to win.
Kasparov was also known for making disparaging remarks about the ability of female players and had previously called Polgár a “circus puppet.” The pair feuded for years, but later reconciled.
But in 2002, Polgár, then 24, faced Kasparov again at a special “match of the new century" event pitting Russian players against others from around the world. Polgár made 42 moves before Kasparov conceded defeat and left the table before their match was complete. Polgár called it “one of the most remarkable moments of my career.”
What Was Life Like for Polgár After Her Chess Career?
Polgár continued playing for more than a decade and was the undisputed top female player in the world. In March 2015, she was honored in the Guinness Book of World Records when her No. 1 ranking had reached 26 years and 28 days in length.
In August 2014, Polgár announced her retirement from competitive chess. According to The New York Times, her final competition was that year’s Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway, where she played as a reserve and helped Hungary win a silver medal—its best finish at the event in 12 years.
However, she hasn’t strayed too far from chess. According to her website, Polgár serves as a commentator at international tournaments and published a trilogy of books as part of her Teaching Chess series, sharing “training secrets, life lessons, and the mindset that shaped her career.”
Stepping away from competition has allowed Polgár to spend more time with her family. She married Gusztav Font, a veterinary surgeon, in 2000. The couple have two children: son Oliver born in 2004, and daughter Hanna born in 2006.
Polgár previously discussed the demands her career put on her husband and kids in a 2012 interview with the Independent, and scoffed at another infamous remark from Kasparov that women couldn’t become great chess players because they would be “distracted by a baby’s cry.” She cited the 2005 world championship, for which she had to leave Gusztav and infant Oliver for 27 days.
“That was not nice—you don’t want your babies to suffer emotionally. But I did it,” Polgár explained. “Anyway, this is not just an issue for women, as Kasparov imagines. Don’t tell me that if a guy wants to be a good father it doesn’t affect his job. My husband supports me a lot—he would probably go higher in his field if he didn’t. And that relationship between the sexes is becoming more acceptable.”
Polgár is helping teach the game to children in preschool through elementary school through her foundation’s educational program, the Judit Polgár Method. It is designed to promote skill-building and cognitive development. She is also a public speaker known for giving talks on strategic decision-making and improving women’s opportunities in the workplace and other areas.
Now, a whole new audience will learn of her tenacity and historic career with the debut of Queen of Chess.
How to Watch Queen of Chess on Netflix
Director Rory Kennedy, the youngest child of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, initially learned about Polgár from a friend and producer. Because of the streamer’s success with The Queen’s Gambit, she made her first call to Netflix looking for a distributor.
Queen of Chess premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and Kennedy said her vision was aligned with Netflix making “kind of an exciting sports film.”
“I was kind of just amazed that I didn’t know [Polgár’s] name. And then I did some more research into her backstory and coming out of Hungary and during the Communist regime and all of the challenges and struggle that she faced to get to the place that she was, and I was hooked,” Kennedy told Deadline.
See if you find the grandmaster’s story just as intriguing when Queen of Chess begins streaming Friday, February 6.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
