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.
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