I originally ran into the Polgars in New York 1988 (where I played Judit) and, since that time, I have chatted with the whole family in Mazatlan, seen Zsuzsa in Pardubice (Czech Republic), ran into Sophia in Brazil (sorry, the dates are hazy) and chatted with Judit in Monte Carlo. On each occasion I recall being amazed at how sweet and down to earth these famous young ladies are. No superiority complexes, no raging egos, just good and highly interesting people.

Over the years I have heard many stories about their family, and lots of gossip about every aspect of their lives. Some of it I found to be true, other anecdotes were quickly tossed into the rubbish bin. It was often difficult to know what was really going on, so this biography of the Polgar family (concentrating mainly on Zsuzsa) was something I read with considerable interest.

Let's start with the positive: the book offers an insider look at Laszlo Polgar's training methods. It also gives you a feel of the difficulties the family, and Zsuzsa, encountered in Hungary and in chess circles. Her ongoing war with the male establishment, her tournament adventures, her battle to win the woman's world championship, the many fine (and well-placed) photos, and the annotated games at the end of the book make it well worth the $24.95.

On the negative end (I always seem to say something negative, don't I?) I wasn't overly fond of the ponderous writing style of Zsuzsa's husband, Jacob Shutzman. So many people write chess books nowadays that we tend to look at moves or content and overlook that these people can't write (only a handful of chess writers can project ideas in an interesting manner. The list of people who should hang up their pens include grandmasters and tyro alike).

I first encountered Mr. Shutzman's writing in the pages of New In Chess. He wrote about his wife's World Championship victory in a style that gave the term "worship" new meaning. The book sees him doing more of the same. Indeed, at times I wasn't sure if I was reading a biography or a hagiography. For example, the following comment made me jump up and make a desperate run for the anti-acid: "Without diminishing the absolute greatness of chess as a form of artistic and scientific exploration and pleasure, another thought has crossed my mind. Had Zsuzsa found a thermometer at home instead of a chess set, perhaps we would have cures for cancer and AIDS today."

Tossing Mr. Shutzman's "style" aside, I must applaud his courage in giving information that most people would have considered personal. This "tell it all" attitude, combined with writings by Polgar's father and Zsuzsa herself, makes this a book I can recommend to anyone who enjoys reading about chess personalia and what goes on behind the scenes.

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