"I want more exposure for the game. Chess needs somebody out there to speak out on behalf of chess," Polgar says.
The Hungarian native, now a U.S. citizen, will be at the Susan Polgar Chess Festival - which runs through Sunday in various locations in Salt Lake City.
"I believe practically any healthy born child has the potential to become a very strong chess player," Polgar says.
The festival, which will include lectures, simultaneous exhibition matches, tournaments and an opportunity to have lunch with Polgar, will give children the chance to observe a grandmaster up close.
Polgar is considered the queen of chess, a trailblazer who has changed the way chess is played throughout the world. She is recognized as the one who laid the foundation for female chess players everywhere.
"When I started about 30 years ago, when chess was definitely viewed as a men's game, as a boys' game, I proved that girls can be just as successful in the game of chess as men or boys if we put our effort into it," Polgar said.
Polgar has been the Women's World Chess Champion four times. She is a five-time undefeated Chess Olympiad champion with a 56-game unbeaten streak. And she is also the first woman to earn the grandmaster title formerly reserved for men. She is the highest-rated woman in the United States and second highest in the world.
At the age of 4, she became interested in chess after finding a chess set and becoming fascinated by the pieces. Six months later she won the Budapest Championship for girls under 11.
"There was a lot of skepticism about a young girl spending so much time with chess and competing against boys," Polgar says. "I had to go through a lot of discrimination and a lot of obstacles that were put in my way.
"Even within the family, there was a lot of opposition as to why a girl should play chess, period. And then later from the [Hungarian] chess federation, why a girl would want to play against boys."
At the age of 15, Polgar laid claim to the top spot in the women's world rankings, a position that has alternated between her and her youngest sister Judit for the past 21 years.
In January 1991, Polgar earned the title of grandmaster. After winning the women's world title in 1996, Polgar retired to start a family. In 2002, Polgar came out of retirement to establish the Susan Polgar Foundation. Its mission "is to promote chess with all its social, educational and competitive benefits for young people across the United States and especially for girls."
"With a lot of grandmasters, they couldn't care less," says Kevin Heath, owner of the Mountain West Chess Association and the person responsible for bringing Polgar to Utah. "They're into it for themselves. Susan is not. Of all the chess people, Susan completely has the kids in mind."
Stephanie Pitcher of Ogden represented the state at the inaugural Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls last summer.
"[The Polgar Chess Festival] will get kids more motivated and excited to play, especially girls," Pitcher says. "I think it will inspire a lot of girls to just be able to meet Susan and see what she's done and the things she's gone through to fight for chess."
From her trials, Polgar has developed a strong outlook on chess' role in society.
"To me chess is like life itself," Polgar says. "Chess is combining, I think, so many important qualities in life, such as concentration, focusing and planning ahead, and taking into account the people around you, and precision, and research, and psychology, and time management, and a number of other very important life skills that we deal with on an everyday basis. I believe chess teaches you to be more responsible."
But one of the problems that chess has, Polgar says, is chess organizations haven't done a great job in creating heroes.
"There should be more heroes in chess. Right away, you could list handfuls, many handfuls of baseball or basketball or tennis stars. In chess, can you name me one American player? Don't tell me Bobby Fischer because he retired 30 years ago. The majority couldn't. American heroes, they are not promoted.
"You know how Charles Barkley said, 'I am not a role model' ? Susan wants to be that role model," says friend and business manager Paul Truong. "Her résumé in chess is equivalent to what you would consider a Tiger Woods, a Michael Jordan, that kind of a caliber player."
Susan Polgar
Festival Schedule
Today
l 6 p.m.: USCF-rated tournament, rounds 1-2, Rowland Hall St. Mark's.
l 10:30 p.m.: Bughouse tournament, Rowland Hall St. Mark's.
Saturday
l 8:30 a.m.: Elementary scholastic tournament, University of Utah's Student Union building.
l 9:30 a.m.: USCF-rated tournament, rounds 3-6, Rowland Hall-St. Mark's.
l 10 a.m.: Chess lecture by GM Susan Polgar, U. Student Union building.
l 11:15 a.m.: Lunch with Susan; U. Student Union building.
l Noon: Polgar National Invitational For Girls qualifying event (includes lecture), U. Student Union building.
l 1:30 p.m.: Junior high and high school tournaments, U. Student Union building.
l 3 p.m.: Simul match with GM Susan Polgar (up to 100 players), U. Student Union building.
Sunday
l 10 a.m.: USCF-rated blitz tournament with GM Susan Polgar and Paul Truong, Rowland Hall-St. Mark's
l 12:45 p.m.: Chess lecture by GM Susan Polgar, Rowland Hall-St. Mark's.
l 2 p.m.: Simul match with GM Susan Polgar (up to 100 players), Rowland Hall-St. Mark's.
Contact Kevin Heath at 801-568-2762 with any questions.
