1989 Young England v Polgar Sisters (Rapidplay Scheveningen), 11-12 November, Barbican, London

Time Limit: 30+0m

Young England v Polgar Sisters	FED	Elo	ZP	JP	SP	Total	Match Total
Michael Adams	ENG	2505g	½ 1	1  0	1  1	4½	9
Stuart C Conquest	ENG	2515m	0 ½	1  0	1  0	2½
David R Norwood	ENG	2485g	0  0	0  1	1  0	2
			MA	SC	DN
Zsusza Polgar	HUN	2520g	½ 0	1 ½	1  1	4	9
Judit Polgar	HUN	2555g	0  1	0  1	1  0	3
Sofia Polgar	HUN	2335m	0  0	0  1	0  1	2

CHESS, January 1990, Vol.54/10, ppn 22-23

Young England v Young Hungary

A Triumph For Sex Equality? by GM David Norwood

On Sunday, 12th November [1989], at around midday at the Barbican Centre, London, a momentous occasion was occurring. On a sofa in one of the hospitality rooms were seated the three goddesses of chess; Zsuzsa, Zsofia and Judit Polgar. They had flown in the night before from a match in Holland and looked conspicuously calm, chatting and laughing amongst themselves. It was the first time that the might of "Polgaria" had been arrayed together on English soil. Their "mission" was a double-round, speed challenge match (30 minutes per player per game) with Young England as part of the Barbican's "Britain Salutes Hungary" festival. Young England was initially meant to include Michael Adams, Matthew Sadler and myself, but a few days before the event Matthew had to drop out and he was replaced by International Master, Stuart Conquest.

Young England seemed distinctly on-edge. Stuart Conquest was fiddling with his rather silly bow-tie. I was attempting some 12th-hour preparation on my portable computer (kindly provided by my sponsors, North-West accountants, Downham-Train-Epstein – thought I should get that in!). Even the ultra-cool Cornish pasty looked somewhat peeked. After several visits to the lavatory we decided to make the gents' toilets the official Team Room – a wise choice as it was the only Polgar-free area in the building.

Now back to the chess: my first tactical ploy had been to buy each Polgar a bunch of flowers in order to soften them up. Like most of my tactics that day, it sadly backfired. In round one I was "kraashed" by the vicious little Judit. Michael, although under pressure, held the draw against Zsuzsa; Stuart saved our faces by outplaying Zsofia. Back to the gents' for a team talk; "If they want to play rough... ", we decided.

By Sunday evening they were on the run. Although Stuart and myself only held our own (two wins, two losses each), the British Champion had utterly broken the power of Polgaria by crushing every member of the family (excluding, of course, Mummy and Daddy Polgar). The score was 7½-4½; only 2/6 was required for victory. The following game is a classic example of Adams' play; calm, simple and practical. His ability to understand positional niceties at the first glimpse of the position makes the "dull Cornish lad" one of the most formidable fast players around. [score of Judit Polgar - Adams]

Monday's preparation involved cruising to a West-end cinema to watch the movies, "Sex, Lies and Videotape" – this rather dull film should be avoided before future important matches. We turned up for play in a relaxed frame of mind. In round 5, Conquest drew with Zsuzsa; Michael was crushing Judit and I was a piece up against Zsofia. We were almost home ... then disaster. The immortal Adams stumbled and fell. I had also blundered into a dead-drawn ending which, in desperate time-trouble, I somehow managed to convert into a loss (helped perhaps by the patriotic crowd which was cheering Judit's victory while my flag was hanging.)

The last round was equally grim. Although a still-fuming Adams downed Zsofia in 20 moves, Conquest emulated my technique by losing a piece up. Zsuzsa carved a hole through my Modem Benoni. The result: a 9-9 draw!

During the closing ceremony celebrations, wine and excuses were flowing in abundance. The only solution to the "who deserved victory?" question was a re-match – this time perhaps in Budapest. The following game should support my notion that the gods truly smile on Polgaria. [score of Norwood - Zsusza Polgar]

---

File Updated

Date	Notes
14 September 2025	First upload, all 18 rapidplay games. Many thanks to Andy Ansel for sending the games.