This article was originally posted on stlpublicradio.org on July 7.
It’s a great time to be a St. Louis girl in chess, I think. Just look at what surrounds them: Webster University coach Susan Polgar is adding something new to her resume. Right there at the bottom of page 11.
Already considered to be one of the strongest female players in history -- a five-time Olympic champion, four-time women’s world champion and triple-crown holder -- Polgar’s second career-as-coach has reached an equally monumental level. The mentor of four national collegiate championship teams, including two back-to-back at Webster, has been recognized as the top chess trainer in the world.
Polgar is the latest recipient of the Furman Symeon medal, one of six highly prestigious awards for chess coaching given annually by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). She is widely credited for shattering several gender barriers in chess, including qualification for the “men’s” world championship in 1986, and Polgar continues her rise through glass ceilings as the first-ever woman recognized globally for coaching. She is also the first-ever American to win the award, which she credited to Webster’s tremendous support of chess and chess in education. ...
