“To beat men at chess you have to constantly play against them, which can’t be achieved if you limit yourself to being satisfied with winning ladies only tournaments,” explains Polgar, who retired from competition last year, after 26 years at the top of her game. “I was playing against men from being a small child. My dream was always to beat every other player and become world champion.”

But with men dominating the highest echelons of the sport, that goal only becomes achievable if you focus on picking them off, one after the other. Polgar saw off a sizeable number: making it to number eight in world rankings.

“I came close,” she says, “but in the end that ultimate goal never became a reality for me. One day I would love to see a woman take that title. But unless women-only competitions are demolished then I’m afraid I don’t think the guys have too much to worry about.”

Polgar’s winning tips

 Love what you do - The greatest players will train ten hours a day, without distraction. Being passionate doesn’t guarantee success, but it’s the greatest motivator there is.
 Develop resilience - Learning how handle losing is the key to winning. Defeat should motivate you rather than discourage you.
 Surround yourself with positive critics - Listen to those who love you; family and friends have to be able to tell you difficult truths.
 Live in the moment - Life can’t all be about the end goal, because you may not get there. Make sure you enjoy yourself along the way.

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The World Youth Championships 2015 were held in Porto Carras, Halkidikki in Greece, from the 25th of October to 6th of November 2015. The 1596 participants came from 91 countries to take part in this unique event, where twelve age category tournaments, ranging from U8 to U18, in the open and girls section took place. In all 36 medals were at stake.

The above table tells you the tale of how brutal India’s domination was at this meet. It won a total of five gold medals, while no other country managed to get more than one. In the World Youth 2014 India was the most successful country with six medals (two golds, two silvers and two bronze medals). This year they bettered their tally by taking home eleven!

Chess Gurukul is a chess academy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, founded by GM R.B. Ramesh and his wife WGM Aarthie Ramaswamy. One of the most amazing facts is that – all the five Indian gold medalists from the World Youth 2015 are from Chess Gurukul!

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