Judith Polgar on San Luis

8/24/2005 - The 8th rated player in the world, Judith Polgar gave an interesting interview on San Luis. I thought it was interesting when Judith said the highest rated players are favorites. She didn’t mention any by name. That means she cedes no advantage.  It shows here confidence. She knows she is one of the best of her kind. She certainly has a better preparation plan than Anand and Leko. While Anand will be mostly resting and Leko is doing general preparation, Polgar has been specifically preparing for each opponent from each side of the board. General preparation might be good for most tournaments, but not a world championship.

     Historically Judith has had trouble with Anand, Morozevich and Topalov.   Judith has not played much chess in the last two years. She decided to start a family in 2004. She did return to chess at Corus in the early 2005. Her first game was a nice tactical victory over Chess960 World Champion Peter Svidler. Judith finished in 4th behind Leko, Anand, and Topalov.  Her next stop was at Mtel, where she finished third behind Topalov and Anand.

    Judith is a great attacking player. Few use the clock as effectively as Judith. She treats the clock like a piece and a weapon. I recall her game against Anatoly Karpov at Essent in 2003. Judith took advantage of her opponent’s time pressure. She kept both the tension and tactical opportunities alive. When Karpov was under server time pressure and blundered, Judith pounced with the double bishop sacrifice.  The ex world champion’s resignation came quickly.
 

    I thought it was very telling, that when asked what she thought about Argentina, Judith mentioned the late great GM Miguel Najdorf. She was the first to mention a chess theme. The player who does the best against their arch nemeses could decide this championship.  Judith Polgar knows her road thru San Luis will go thru Anand, Topalov and Morozevich.
   

Judith Polgar's full interview - http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2597
 

San Luis - Chess Reporter
Judith Polgar - Chess Reporter
2005 Major tournament results
Polgar vs. Svidler 2005 Corus - http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1327766

Polgar vs. Karpov - 2003 Essent - http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1268971