‘For us as it was for Judit it was never a men’s world; it was always study, analyse, study, analyse and be confident,’ recalls Woman International Master Jayshree Khadilkar Pande.
IMAGE: The Polgar sisters: Susan, Sofia and Judit. Photograph: Kind courtesy International Chess Federation/X
Key Points
- The Polgar sisters proved as Judit said, ‘It is not a question of gender, it is a question of being smart.’
- I just wished that The Queen of Chess did not have a gender-oriented name. I felt it should have been The Master of Chess.
- After the Polgar sisters, women in chess have recently not reached the top positions.
We, the Khadilkar Sisters (Vasanti, Jayshree, Rohini) were commonly referred to as the Polgar Sisters of India.
Our life story lines run parallel. Three sisters, a father who wanted the best for his girls, a supportive mother, a long chess career, comparisons, highs and lows in career, a non supportive government, it seems all the same.
My father wanted his girls to have a career in sports and specifically in a sport where selection is not dependent on a sport authority.
You win, you are selected. So he chose to teach us chess. The Polgar sisters’ father had a different view. He wanted to prove that geniuses can be made, not born.
Both fathers were successful in creating champions. I still feel that the Polgar sisters’ father, Mr Laszlo, may not be fully right in his point about making a genius. I defer on that. Each person’s personality, their attitude and their inbuilt DNA has an effect on their careers.
That is the reason it is felt that a genius is born and then nurtured to reach great heights.
Women Foray Into Men’s Arena
The Polgar sisters and the Khadilkar sisters stood out because we entered the men’s arena. We played in a men’s tournament. Both fathers had to fight for this right.
My father approached the World Chess Organisation/FIDE and then the courts when we were not allowed to play in men’s tournaments. ‘My daughters will play with all,’ my father insisted, and he won his case.
We were the first sisters to play in men’s tournaments in India. This move opened a lot of doors for women players.
The Polgar sisters were outstanding in the fact that they mainly played in men’s tournaments and proved that women players were no less.
The Best Game Of Judith’s Life
Judit defeated the likes of Gary Kasparov and our very own Viswanathan Anand. She defeated Anand in 1999 and called the game with him the best game of her life. She was the world’s top ranking women chess player from the age of 12 to the age of 30 which is a very long period.
When Judit entered the top 10 world chess players list and entered the world championship in her own right, it was an encouragement not only for women chess players around the globe, but an encouraging period for chess as well, for Judit attracted a lot of publicity.
However, after the Polgar sisters, women in chess have recently not reached the top positions. Among the first 100 players there is no women chess player. In India, the scene was a bit different. More and more women took to chess and progressed with flying colours.
The Polgar sisters proved as Judit said, ‘It is not a question of gender, it is a question of being smart.’
IMAGE: The Khaldikar sisters at the Chess Olympiad 1980 in Valletta. Photograph: Kind courtesy MBIHund/Wikimedia Commons
The Polgar sisters are an idol for women in all walks of life. We trained for almost six hours a day for years as did the Polgar sisters.
My father was intrigued by the Bobby Fischer versus Boris Spassky World Championship in 1972 and propelled us into the chess world.
The Polgar sisters’ success was a similar inspiration to many.
After watching The Queen’s Gambit it was immensely satisfying to watch The Queen of Chess on Netflix.
I truly relived our days of passionate chess play. For us, as it was for Judit, it was never a men’s world though our families fought the psyche. It was always study, analyse, study, analyse and be confident.
One thing, however, struck me, that the Polgar sisters proved that to be the best chess players gender is not an issue and this encouraged many.
I just wished that The Queen of Chess did not have a gender-oriented name. I felt it should have been The Master of Chess, a name to recognise what the Polgar sisters achieved.
Jayshree Khadilkar Pande is a Woman International Master. Her peak FIDE rating was 2120.
As told to Jagan Venkatachari
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
