Customer Reviews

The Polgar Sisters: Training or Genius? (Batsford Chess Library)

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The Polgar sisters' upbringing is a unique and fascinating topic. Even for those with little interest in the game of chess, the intrigue of Polgars' story will prove to be engaging. This book contains descriptions of the three sisters' upbringing, brief overviews of their tournament play, and a hefty amount of game analysis.

The Polgar sisters all become world chess champions, but most capitvating is that this success was by pure design. Their father, who sought to prove that repetition was truly the mother of skill, put out a personal add seeking a woman who would partake in an experiment that consisted of having children, home schooling them, and emphasizing only a single specific skill; that skill later being chosen as chess. He insisted that he could create world champions in this manner, before he had even found his accepting bride. He found a willing participant, had three children, and the experiment was a large success. Each of his daughters took the chess world by storm, one even breaking Bobby Fischer's record for youngest GM (which has since also been broken).

What is missing from this book is any depth in the description of the Polgar's history. The vast majority of the book dissects the polgar sisters games, mildly showing their evolution as players. Any chess enthusiast will appreciate this analysis, but this doesn't differentiate itself in any way from any book of games. It is disappointing that the author paid so little attention to the mindset of the Polgars and the influences of of their unique childhood. The availabilities of the Polgar sister games is common and not generally hard to find, making this book rather average.

page turner 80%, 20% boring, but honest. Interesing because

author was a competitor. Games are excellent. Ony drawback

is that the content does not cover the topic of the book

in much detail.