Polgar Wins Blitz(ish) Event in Mexico
More here. It was a four-player knockout in Mexico City, Mexico with Veselin Topalov, Vassily Ivanchuk, Judit Polgar and Mexican GM (and occasional Ivanchuk second) Manuel Leon Hoyos. This was part of a broader festival that included simuls by Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov along with seminars and other activities.
In this rapid/blitz event (10 minutes per game, with 5 second increments after each move) Polgar scraped by Ivanchuk 2.5-1.5 with a bit of good fortune in one semi-final, while Topalov easily dismissed Leon Hoyos 3.5-.5 in the other. In the final, Polgar needed neither luck nor feisty perseverance as she dismantled Topalov 3.5-.5, and she finished the match by crushing him in a King's Gambit.
It may not have been "real" chess, but it's still one of the best results of her career and especially of her recent career, which has been pretty spotty as she has spent much more time as a stay-at-home mom.
Reader Comments (2)
Good for Judit. I always look out for her results.
This is an awesome result for Judit. Dispatching the mighty Topalov 3.5 - 0.5 at any time-control is a stunning achievement, and it's hard to imagine even Kasparov scoring a better result than that against him. Let us hope this signals a comeback for the brilliant Hungarian, who has been in a relative slump lately due to family demands.