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Judit Polgár, the chess master taught to beat men Leontxo García
Since the Spanish cleric Ruy López de Segura became the first unofficial world chess champion in the 16th century, only one woman, Judit Polgár, has been among the world’s top 10 players while there are few among the top 100. Having retired from playing tournaments in 2014, the 49-year-old Hungarian has intelligence, sympathy, and culture in spades. No one would guess she had never been to school, except for exams. The Netflix documentary Queen of Chess focuses on her success on the chess board
13 February 2026 at 17:27

Judit Polgár, the chess master taught to beat men

13 February 2026 at 17:27

Since the Spanish cleric Ruy López de Segura became the first unofficial world chess champion in the 16th century, only one woman, Judit Polgár, has been among the world’s top 10 players while there are few among the top 100. Having retired from playing tournaments in 2014, the 49-year-old Hungarian has intelligence, sympathy, and culture in spades. No one would guess she had never been to school, except for exams. The Netflix documentary Queen of Chess focuses on her success on the chess board but does not say much about this. Nor does it flag up the scarcity of women in a sport where physical strength is irrelevant.

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Queen of Chess

Director: Rory Kennedy

Genre: Documentary. U.S., 2026.

Running time: 95 minutes.

Platform: Netflix

Premiere: February 6.