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The real ‘Queen’s Gambit’: Meet the first woman to qualify for the World Chess Championship

JL;DR SUMMARY Susan Polgar, a pioneering figure in chess, broke records as the first woman to qualify for the World Chess Championship, defying significant sexism and adversity throughout her career. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentityWomen's RightsGender EqualityChessCultural ImpactCoachingSusan PolgarThe Queen's GambitHungarian ChessInternational Chess Federation

Places mentioned

St. Louis, Missouri, United States
"I was stunned, Polgar, 51, said from her home in St. Louis, Mo., where she coaches Webster Universitys chess team."
Budapest, Hungary
"Polgar was born Zsuzsanna Polgr in Budapest in 1969."
Hungary
"But the Hungarian-born Polgars ascent wasnt nearly as easy or as cordial as the one depicted in miniseries."
Texas, United States
"In 2007, she brought the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) to Texas Tech University, leading the top-ranked mens collegiate team in the country and becoming the first woman to coach a Mens Division 1 team to a national championship."

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Cairo Item ID 73991
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-01-31 05:31:39 UTC
Curated 2026-01-31 08:31:19 UTC