Susan Polgar

Biography (1969)

The oldest of phenomenal Polgar sisters, Susan (born in 1969), got an excellent tournament record playing mainly with men and became the highest-rated female player in July of 1984, aged just 15.In the early 1990s, Susan changed her mind about playing primarily in open sections and set off on a quest for the women's chess crown. She entered the Women's World Championship cycle in 1992, won the Candidates tournament in Shanghai (1992) and reached the final in which she faced Nana Ioseliani. The match was drawn even after two tiebreaks, and the winner was decided by the drawing of lots that favoured Ioseliani.Unfazed, Polgar tried again in the next cycle, and after convincingly outplaying Chiburdanidze in the Candidates' playoff (1995), she set up a title match with the defending champion Xie Jun (Jaen, 1996). Susan put in a dominating performance and clinched the title with three games to spare (+6-2=5).Her title defence against Xie Jun was scheduled for 1998, and then postponed to 1999. Under new circumstances (Polar was pregnant and due to give birth and did not want to play entirely in China), Susan refused to play and forfeited the title.