Judit Polgár facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Judit Polgár |
|
|---|---|
Polgár in 2013 (Warsaw)
|
|
| Country | Hungary |
| Born | 23 July 1976 Budapest, Hungary |
| Title | Grandmaster (1991) |
| FIDE rating | 2675 (June 2025) (inactive since September 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2735 (July 2005) |
| Peak ranking |
|
Judit Polgár (born 23 July 1976) is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. Many people think she is the strongest female chess player ever. In 1991, Judit became a Grandmaster at just 15 years and 4 months old. This made her the youngest person to get this title at that time. She broke the record held by former world champion Bobby Fischer. She was also the youngest player to join the FIDE top 100 players list. She ranked No. 55 in January 1989, when she was only 12.
Judit Polgár is the only woman who was a serious contender for the World Chess Championship. She played in the 2005 championship. She also took part in big knockout tournaments for the world title. She is the only woman to reach an Elo of over 2700. Her highest world ranking was No. 8 in 2004. Her top rating was 2735 in 2005. She is the only woman to be ranked in the top ten of all chess players. She first reached this ranking in 1996. She was the No. 1 rated woman in the world from January 1989 until she retired on August 13, 2014.
She has won or shared first place in many chess tournaments. These include Hastings 1993, Madrid 1994, and the U.S. Open 1998. Judit is the only woman to beat a reigning world number one player. She has defeated eleven current or former world champions. Some of them are Magnus Carlsen, Anatoly Karpov, and Garry Kasparov.
On August 13, 2014, she announced she was retiring from playing chess professionally. In June 2015, Polgár became the new captain and head coach of the Hungarian national men's team. On August 20, 2015, she received Hungary's highest award, the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary. In 2021, Polgár was added to the World Chess Hall of Fame. In September 2024, Judit Polgar received the FIDE100 Award. This award recognized her as the best female player of her time. It also honored her contributions to chess and for being a great role model.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Polgár was born on July 23, 1976, in Budapest, Hungary. She came from a Hungarian-Jewish family. Judit and her two older sisters, Grandmaster Susan and International Master Sofia, were part of a special experiment. Their father, László Polgár, wanted to show that children could achieve amazing things. He believed this if they were trained in one special subject from a young age. "Geniuses are made, not born," was his idea.
László and his wife Klára taught their three daughters at home. Chess was their main subject. They also taught their daughters Esperanto, an international language. Hungarian authorities did not like home-schooling at the time. Some people in the West also criticized them for not letting the sisters have a "normal" childhood.
Chess was traditionally a sport mostly for men. Women were often seen as weaker players. László Polgár did not want his daughters to play only in women-only events. He believed women could achieve the same results as men in intellectual activities like chess. He wrote, "We reject any kind of discrimination in this respect." This idea caused problems with the Hungarian Chess Federation. The Federation wanted women to play only in women's tournaments. Judit's older sister, Susan, fought against this rule. She played in men's tournaments and refused to play in women's events.
Becoming a Chess Star
Judit Polgár rarely played in women-only tournaments. She never competed for the Women's World Championship. She said, "Women should have the self-confidence that they are as good as male players." She added that this is true "only if they are willing to work and take it seriously as much as male players." László Polgár was a great chess coach. The Polgárs also hired professional chess players to train their daughters.
Susan Polgár, the oldest sister, was the first to become famous in chess. By 1986, she was the world's top-rated female player. At first, Judit, being the youngest, was kept separate from her sisters' training. But this made Judit even more curious. After she learned the rules, they found that Judit could solve difficult chess problems. She then joined their training group. One night, Susan and her trainer were studying a chess endgame. They couldn't find the solution. They woke Judit, who was asleep, and brought her to the training room. Still half asleep, Judit showed them how to solve the problem. László Polgár's experiment showed that women could become chess grandmasters. It also supported the idea that hard work and training can create great talent.
Young Chess Genius
Judit Polgár was a chess prodigy from a very young age. At age 5, she played a game without looking at the board and won. Her friend joked, "You are good at chess, but I'm a good cook." Judit replied, "Do you cook without looking at the stove?" However, her sister Susan said Judit was not the most naturally talented. Susan explained, "Judit was a slow starter, but very hard-working." Polgár herself said she was "obsessive" about chess at that age. She beat an International Master at age 10 and a Grandmaster at age 11.
Albena 1986
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 |
          |
8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
Judit started playing in tournaments at 6 years old. By age 9, her rating was 2080 with the Hungarian Chess Federation. She was part of a chess club in Budapest. There, she gained experience from master-level players. In 1984, Sophia and Judit, then 9 and 7, played two games of blindfold chess against two masters and won.
In April 1986, 9-year-old Judit played her first rated tournament in the U.S. She finished first in the unrated section of the New York Open. She won US$1,000. All three Polgár sisters competed. Judit won her first seven games before drawing the last one. Grandmasters would come to watch the serious, quiet child play. When asked if she would be world champion, Judit answered: "I will try."
In late 1986, 10-year-old Judit defeated 52-year-old Romanian IM Dolfi Drimer. Edmar Mednis said he played his best game to beat Judit. He added, "Grandmasters don't like to lose to 10-year-old girls."
In April 1988, Polgár earned her first International Master norm. In August 1988, she won the under-12 "Boys" section of the World Youth Chess and Peace Festival. In October 1988, she finished first in a tournament in London. With these results, she became an International Master. She was the youngest player ever to do so at 12 years old. Both Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov were 14 when they got the title. Former world champion Mikhail Tal said Polgár could win the World Championship.
Judit was asked about playing against boys instead of in the girls' section. She said, "These other girls are not serious about chess... I practice five or six hours a day."
In November 1988, Judit and her sisters represented Hungary in the Women's section of the 28th Chess Olympiad. The International Chess Federation did not let the Polgárs play against men in team events. Before the tournament, Soviet GM Eduard Gufeld doubted the Polgárs. But the Hungarian women's team won the championship. This was the first time the Soviet Union did not win it. Judit played board 2 and finished with the highest score. She won an individual gold medal.
In January 1989, at age 12, her Elo rating was 2555. This made her number 55 in the world. She was 35 points ahead of the Women's World Champion. Judit's calm manner at the board was different from her intense playing style. British GM David Norwood called her "this cute little auburn-haired monster who crushed you." British journalist Dominic Lawson wrote about 12-year-old Judit's "killer" eyes.
Before age 13, she was in the top 100 players in the world. The British Chess Magazine said her results made Fischer's and Kasparov's at a similar age "pale by comparison." British GM Nigel Short called Judit "one of the three or four greatest chess prodigies in history." Kasparov at first doubted her, saying, "She has fantastic chess talent, but she is, after all, a woman." Later, after losing to her, Kasparov changed his mind. He said, "The Polgárs showed that there are no inherent limitations to their aptitude."
In 1989, Polgár tied for third in the OHRA Open in Amsterdam. This earned her first Grandmaster norm. By now, many books and articles were written about the Polgár sisters. They became famous even outside of chess. In 1989, American President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara met the Polgárs in Hungary.
In 1990, Judit won the Boys section of the under-14 in the World Youth Chess Festival. Also in 1990, Judit and her sisters won the gold medal in the Women's Olympiad. This was the last women-only tournament Judit ever played in.
Becoming a Grandmaster
In December 1991, Polgár became a grandmaster. She won the Hungarian National Championship. She was the youngest ever at 15 years, 4 months. This broke Fischer's record by a month. She was the first woman to be the youngest-ever grandmaster. She was also the fourth woman to become a grandmaster. Hungary, a strong chess country, had almost all its best players in that championship. Polgár needed only a draw in the last round to get the GM title. But she won her game to finish first.
In 1992, Polgár tied for second behind Anatoly Karpov at the Madrid International. In July 1992, she placed second in the Reshevsky Memorial. She had four wins, five draws, and no losses. In September 1992, Polgár played in a tournament in Aruba. A team of senior men played against a team of top women. The men won the tournament. Polgár, at 16, finished second overall.
Polgár then tied for first in the Hastings tournament in 1992–93. Russian GM Evgeny Bareev, ranked eighth, lost to Polgár. This allowed her to share first place. After Hastings, Polgár played an exhibition match against former World Champion Boris Spassky. She won the match 5½–4½ and won $110,000. This was her biggest prize money at that time. Polgár also played in the Melody Amber tournament in Monaco. She finished in clear fourth place, ahead of other strong Grandmasters.
In 1993, Polgár became the first woman to qualify for an Interzonal tournament. She confirmed her status as a leading player. She almost qualified for the Candidates Tournaments.
In the summer of 1994, Polgár had her greatest success so far. She won the Madrid International in Spain. She finished 7–2, 1½ points ahead of second place. Her performance rating was 2778.
In October 1994, she played in a tournament in Buenos Aires. It was a tribute to Polugaevsky. Eight grandmasters played, all considered world championship contenders. The tournament was special because Black had to play a Sicilian Defence. This was Polgár's favorite opening. She finished tied for third against the elite players.
In September 1995, Polgár finished third in the Donner Memorial in Amsterdam. She secured third place with a quick win over Shirov. In Aruba in November 1995, she played a friendly match against Jeroen Piket. Polgár won the match 6–2.
In 1995, a chess club in Scotland tried to arrange a game between Polgár and Nigel Short. They wanted to use the famous Lewis chessmen. These are chess pieces carved in the 12th century. The British Museum would not let them use the set. In the end, the Museum allowed the chess set to be displayed. Polgár won the tournament, winning both her games against Short.
Strongest Female Player Ever
Polgár is generally seen as the strongest female chess player of all time. In January 1996, she became the only woman to be ranked in the top ten of all chess players. In August 1996, she played in a strong tournament in Vienna. She tied for fourth place. In December 1996, Polgár played a match in São Paulo against Brazil's champion Gilbert Milos. Polgár won two games, drew one, and lost one. She won $12,000.
In February 1997, she played in the Linares "supertournament." Polgár finished fifth, ahead of many strong GMs. Her result was amazing given the tournament's strength. She was praised for her tactical skills. In April 1997, she played in the Dos Hermanas Chess tournament. She finished sixth with an even score. In June 1997, she finished with an even score in the Madrid GM tournament. In July 1997, Polgár competed in the elite Dortmund International Tournament. She finished fifth, ahead of players like Anatoly Karpov. She won a game against Veselin Topalov, then ranked fourth in the world. In October 1997, she tied for second in the VAM International Tournament.
"There has long been a lively debate about who is the strongest player of all," wrote GM Robert Byrne in 1997. "But there is no argument about the greatest female player: she is 21-year-old Judit Polgár."
In January 1998, she played in the Hoogovens tournament in the Netherlands. She finished in the middle, tied for sixth–tenth. Polgár gave co-winner Viswanathan Anand his only loss. In June 1998 in Budapest, Polgár played an eight-game "action" chess match against Anatoly Karpov. She won the match 5–3. At the time, Karpov was the FIDE World Champion. In August 1998, Polgár became the first woman to win the U.S. Open. She shared the victory with GM Boris Gulko. Her win against GM Georgi Kacheishvili showed her aggressive style. In October 1998, Polgár won the VAM four-grandmaster tournament. In November 1998, Polgár played in the Wydra Memorial Rapid chess tournament. She tied for first with Viswanathan Anand.
In October 1999, Polgár played in the GM section of the VAM Chess tournament. She came back to share first place. Anatoly Karpov finished third.
In April and May 2000, Polgár won one of the strongest tournaments in Asia. The Japfa Classic in Indonesia included Alexander Khalifman, the FIDE world champion. Polgár finished first, winning $20,000. At the end of May, she won the Sigeman & Company International Tournament in Sweden. In June 2000, she finished second in the GM Tournament Mérida. In September 2000, she shared first place in the Najdorf Chess Festival. In October and November, she played for Hungary in the 34th Chess Olympiad. Polgár finished with a high score and a strong performance.
In early 2001, Polgár played in the elite Linares tournament. She drew both her games with Kasparov. This was the first time she did this under tournament time controls. In March 2001, she reached the semifinals of the World Cup rapid play tournament. She lost to Evgeny Bareev. In a quarterfinal game, she forced Joël Lautier to resign in 12 moves. The audience applauded. In June 2001, Polgár finished fourth in the European Championship. In October 2001, she tied for first in the Essent Tourney.
Making History
In September 2002, in the Russia versus the Rest of the World Match, Polgár finally defeated Garry Kasparov. This game was played under rapid rules. She won with excellent positional play. Kasparov resigned when he was two pawns down. Kasparov had once called Polgár a "circus puppet" and said women chess players should stick to having children. Polgár called the game "one of the most remarkable moments of [her] career." This game was historic. It was the first time a female player beat the world's No. 1 player in a competitive game.
In October and November 2002, Polgár played for Hungary in the 35th Chess Olympiad. She helped Hungary win the silver medal. Hungary had the best win–loss record as a team. They lost only one game out of 56. Polgár's game against Azerbaijan's Shakhriyar Mamedyarov included a brilliant move.
By early 2003, Polgár was back in the top 10 rated players. In 2003, Polgár had one of her best results. She finished second, undefeated, in the Corus chess tournament in the Netherlands. She was just half a point behind future world champion Viswanathan Anand. She was a full point ahead of then-world champion Vladimir Kramnik. One highlight was her crushing victory over Anatoly Karpov. She used a new move in the opening. The game lasted 33 moves. Polgár said she was "enjoying herself" by the end. In April 2003, Polgár finished second in The Hunguest Hotels Super Tournament. In June 2003, Polgár tied for third in the Enghien-les-Bains International Tournament. In August 2003, Polgár played an eight-game rapid chess match against Viswanathan Anand. Anand won the match. In October 2003, Polgár won the Essent tournament. In one game against Karpov, she used a famous double bishop sacrifice.
In 2004, Polgár took time off to give birth to her son, Olivér. She was not listed on the January 2005 FIDE rating list. Her sister Susan became the world's No. 1 ranked female player again.
Polgár returned to chess at the Corus chess tournament in January 2005. She scored well and gained rating points. In May, she also performed well at a strong tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, finishing third. This led to her highest rating ever, 2735, in July 2005. She kept her spot as the eighth-ranked player in the world.
In September 2005, Polgár made history again. She became the first woman to play in the final stages of the World Chess Championship qualification. She had played in big knockout tournaments before. But this was a small 8-player event. She did not perform well, coming last. However, in her game against Veselin Topalov, Polgár pushed the eventual winner to a seven-hour marathon.
She did not play at the 2006 Linares tournament because she was pregnant again. On July 6, 2006, she gave birth to a girl, Hanna.
Polgár played in the FIDE world blitz championship in September 2006. Blitz chess is very fast. Polgár finished tied for fifth/sixth place. She won her game against Viswanathan Anand, then world No. 2. In October 2006, Polgár tied for first place in the Essent Chess Tournament. She had two wins against the world's top-rated player, Veselin Topalov. In December 2006, Polgár played a blindfold rapid chess match against Veselin Topalov. Topalov won the match.
In May–June 2007, she played in the Candidates Tournament for the FIDE World Chess Championship 2007. She lost in the first round. Some experts said she was "poorly prepared." She had played less chess after having her two children. However, she was still praised for the most beautiful attack of the tournament. In July 2007, Polgár played in the Biel Chess Festival. She finished tied for third to sixth place. In October 2007, Polgár played in the Blindfold World Cup. She finished fourth. In November 2007, she played in a tournament to raise money for a hospital. Polgár finished tied for third. She gave tournament winner Veselin Topalov his only loss.
In January 2008, she played in the strong Corus Wijk aan Zee tournament. She scored well. In November 2008, Polgár had a difficult result in The World Chess Blitz Championship. She finished last. In November 2008, Polgár played for the Hungarian open team in the 38th Chess Olympiad.
In November 2009, Polgár played in the FIDE World Cup. She reached the third round before being eliminated by the tournament winner. She gave him his only loss.
Return to Competition
In 2010, Polgár started playing more competitive chess. In March 2010, Polgár played a four-game match against GM Gregory Kaidanov. The match was a draw. In April 2010, Polgár played an eight-game rapid chess match against Czech GM David Navara. Polgár won the match 6–2. Polgár played in the rapid chess tournament of the Presidential Chess Cup. She finished tied for fifth. In June 2010, it was reported Polgár was helping GM Zoltán Almási train for the Olympiad.
In September and October 2010, Polgár played for the Hungarian Men's team in the 39th Chess Olympiad. The team finished fourth. Polgár finished fourth overall among Board three players. The highlight was a victory over Russia I. In November 2010, Polgár won a four-player rapid tournament. She won a close match against Vassily Ivanchuk. She then defeated Veselin Topalov, a former world champion, to win the tournament.
European Ch., Aix-les-Bains 2011
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 |
 |
8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
On April 2, 2011, Polgár tied for first in the European Individual Chess Championship. She won the bronze medal. Polgár was praised for her creative attacks. She became the first woman to finish in the top three of the male championship. In July 2011, she played in the Greek Team National Championship. Also in July 2011, Polgár played for Hungary in the World Team Championships.
In September 2011, Polgár competed in the Chess World Cup 2011. She made it to the final 8 players. She was eliminated by Peter Svidler. A highlight was her win over the tournament's No. 1 seed, Sergey Karjakin. In October 2011, Polgár took part in the Unive 2011 competition. She finished last in the elite group.
In September 2011, Polgár returned to "Super GM" status with a FIDE rating of 2701. By November, she was ranked 35 in the world.
In January 2012, Polgár competed in the Tradewise Gibraltar tournament. She lost a classical game to a female player for the first time in 22 years. Women's World champion Hou Yifan won their game. In 2013, Polgár received the FIDE Caïssa Award. This award recognized her as the best female player of 2012.
On October 5, 2013, Polgár played Nigel Short in Chess.com's Death Match. Polgár won the match. She later said it was "great fun to play against Nigel."
In 2014, in the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship, she came 26th in Blitz and 56th in Rapid.
On August 13, 2014, she announced her retirement from top-level chess.
Playing Style
Judit Polgár is known for her aggressive playing style. She loves to attack and create complicated positions. Former World Champion Garry Kasparov wrote that if "playing like a girl" meant anything in chess, "it would mean relentless aggression." When she was young, chess fans loved her willingness to use wild gambits and attacks. As a teenager, Polgár helped make the King's Bishop's Gambit opening popular.
Polgár prefers aggressive openings. She plays 1.e4 as White. With Black, she often uses the Sicilian or King's Indian Defence. She has also said her opening choices depend on her trainer. Jennifer Shahade, a writer and chess champion, suggested that Polgár's influence might be why women play more aggressive chess. Former U.S. Champion Joel Benjamin described playing her as "all-out war for five hours." He called her "a tiger at the chessboard." He said, "You make one mistake and she goes right for the throat."
Polgár is especially good at faster time controls. When she was young, Der Spiegel wrote that "her tactical thunderstorms during blitz games have confused many opponents."
Polgár has talked about the psychological aspect of chess. She prefers to learn an opponent's style. Then she plays against them specifically, rather than just playing "objective" chess. In her 2002 win against Kasparov, she used a line he had used himself. This forced him to "play against himself." Kasparov's response was not good, and he quickly lost. She said about playing against computers, "Chess is 30 to 40% psychology. You don't have this when you play a computer. I can't confuse it."
Life as a Chess Professional
"You have to be very selfish sometimes," Polgár said about being a professional chess player. "If you are in a tournament, you have to think of yourself." In 2002, she was asked if she still wanted to win the world championship. She said, "Chess is my profession and of course I hope to improve. But I'm not going to give up everything to become world champion; I have my life."
Polgár said she did not have a permanent coach. She sometimes got help from GM Lev Psakhis or GM Mihail Marin. She rarely used a second. When she traveled, her husband usually went with her. Polgár said she changed how she prepared for tournaments. "I make more use of my experience now and try to work more efficiently," she said in 2008.
Taking care of her two children meant Polgár had less time to train and play. Her ranking dropped from eighth in 2005 to the mid-50s in 2009. She played in the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel. She was named the Outstanding Female Athlete of the Games. Polgár remained the only woman in the top 100 until Hou Yifan reached rank 86 in August 2014. Polgár is still the only woman to have ever made the top 50. Comparing motherhood to playing chess, Polgár said a chess tournament now "feels like a vacation." When asked why she came back to chess, she said, "I cannot live without chess! It is an integral part of my life. I enjoy the game!"
Even though she was the highest-rated woman for 25 years, Polgár never competed for the women's world championship. In a 2011 interview, she said she was never interested in it. But she added that "the mentality of a couple of the women players has changed." Polgár said for her to consider it, it would have to be a challenge.
Polgár wrote a series of children's books about chess called Chess Playground. Her sister Sofia drew the pictures.
In March 2013, she received the Commander's Cross with Star of The Hungarian Order of Merit. This is one of Hungary's highest awards. It was for her achievements as an athlete and for promoting chess. In August 2015, she received The Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, Hungary's highest state award.
Personal Life
In August 2000, Polgár married Gusztáv Font, a Hungarian veterinary surgeon. They have two children: a boy named Olivér (born 2004) and a girl named Hanna (born 2006). Judit stayed in Hungary. Her sisters and parents eventually moved away. Sofia moved to Israel, Susan to the United States, and her parents to Israel and the United States.
Several members of Polgár's family were killed in the Holocaust. Her grandmother survived Auschwitz concentration camp.
Famous Games
- J. Polgár vs. V. Anand, Dos Hermanas 1999 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation. Delayed Keres Attack Perenyi Gambit (B90) · 1–0 Her former trainer called this the most beautiful game ever played by a woman.
- Judit Polgár vs. Ferenc Berkes, Hunguest Hotels Super Chess Tournament 2003 · French Defense: Classical. Burn Variation Main Line (C11) · 1–0 Polgár's opponent fell for a clever trap.
- Alexey Shirov vs. Judit Polgar, Buenos Aires ARG 1994 · Sicilian Defense: Paulsen. Normal Variation (B45) · 0–1 Polgár used a new idea to break up Shirov's pawns. She won this game very quickly.
- Judit Polgár vs. Nigel Short, 1994 New York PCA/Intel-GP Rapid knockout tournament. 1–0. Short seemed to have a winning attack. But Polgár recovered quickly.
- Polgár vs. Garry Kasparov, Russia vs. The Rest of the World match, Moscow 2002 Spanish Game: Berlin Defense. l'Hermet Variation (C67) · 1–0 Polgár made history by beating the world's No. 1 chess player.
The Judit Polgar Chess Foundation
The Judit Polgar Chess Foundation created two educational programs. One is Chess Palace for primary school children (grades 1–4). The other is Chess Playground for pre-school children. The goal is to improve skills like problem-solving and strategic thinking using chess. The rules of chess are used to teach general subjects like math and language. The program is very successful in Hungary. It is part of the Hungarian National Curriculum. In 2015, the Chess Palace book series won a special prize.
Books
- Judit Polgar: How I Beat Fischer's Record (in English, German, French, Hungarian)
- Judit Polgar: From GM to Top Ten (in English, German, French, Hungarian)
- Judit Polgar: A Game of Queens (in English, German, French, Hungarian)
Educational chess exercise books for pre-school children (in Hungarian):
- Kalandozások a sakktáblán (Adventures on the Chessboard)
- Sakklépések (Chess Moves)
- Sakk és matt (Check and Mate)
Educational chess books for elementary school children (in Hungarian):
- Sakkpalota (Chess Palace), series 1–4.
Awards
- Hungarian Chess Player of the Year (many times, including 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998–2003, 2005–2012, and 2014)
- 8-time Chess Oscar winner (1988, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, and 2002)
- Female Chess Player of the Century: 2001
- FIDE Caissa Award (the new "Chess Oscar"): 2012
- The Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2003)
- The Commander's Cross with Star of the Hungarian Order of Merit (2013)
- Prima Primissima (2014)
- Member of the Association of Immortal Hungarian Athletes (2014)
- The Hungarian Order of St. Stephen (2015)
- Best European Learning Materials Award – for the Chess Palace Program (2015)
- Honorary Citizen of Budapest (2016)
- James Joyce Award from the UCD Literary & Historical Society (2017)
- ECU European Golden Pawn, "European Chess Legend" (2019)
- Honorary Doctor of the University of Physical Education (2020)
- Inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame (2021)
- FIDE ICON Award (2022)
- FIDE100 Award, Best Player – Woman (2024)
Images for kids
-
Robot for kids
See also
- List of Jewish chess players
