Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1989. január-június (43. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1989-06-29 / 26. szám
Thursday, June 29. 1989. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO 11. Chess Prod The chess world has been loud with the names of the Polgár girls since November of last year. And let us quickly add: not without cause. The Hungarian women's chess team, consisting of the three Polgár sisters - Zsuzsa (19), Zsófia (14) and Judit (12) - and Ildikó Madl, accomplished an unparalleled feat at the Salonika Chess Olympics: for the first time in the history of the Chess Olympics it won the gold medal, finishing ahead of the, until now, invincible Soviet Union. This historical sports victory justified the father, László Polgár: his work over the past 15 years, which his opponents followed with unconcealed hostility and, at times, even made more difficult, finally yielded its result. For László Polgár plainly said 15 years ago: he would raise men's world champions from his daughters. At that time Zsuzsa was an only child, but the father had similar plans for his other daughters born later. His claim occasioned quite a storm. Some said he was simply cruel to be experimenting with his daughters, making them crippled, ruining their childhood. We should not forget that at that time Zsuzsa was only four years old and - although she truly seemed to be a talented, receptive child - there were no signs she would ever boast of a spectacular chess career. Naturally, Mr. Polgár could not be sure. All he merely thought was that a woman will never be capable of greater performances than a man in the physical sports, but this feat just might succeed at the chess tables. Zsuzsa played chess with boys from an early age, preferably with older and more experienced ones. This is how she won the Pioneer Olympics at the age of six, how she chalked up increasingly amazing results. Unfortunately, there were more enemies than friends, and this made work more difficult. Zsuzsa sometimes had a coach, at other times she didn't. Naturally her two sisters had an easier time, as they had Zsuzsa as a practice partner, and the ambitious father did not make the same mistakes in the case of his two younger daughters as he did, understandably, lacking a model, with Zsuzsa. Child prodigies - was tne verdict when it began to be seen that the girls are particularly talented. But they are not, the father also rejects this description. All that is true is they have a special feel for chess, and their father, who manages them excellently, is able to bring the most out of them. And apart from their sensational feats at the chess board, they are successful in other areas of life, too. All speak several languages, and have been private pupils for long years, which ensures them time for other things besides chess. While Zsuzsa was chosen for the men's team of her club, the MTK-VM where international Grand Master Lajos Portisch played in first place, the two younger girls also increasingly acquired the skills of this magnificent game. Zsófia became an increasingly dangerous rival of her elder sister, and Judit also had successes in "blind" chess, playing with her back to the board. Many people termed this a circus act, but The Polgar sisters they forgot that it is an excellent way of developing capabilities. The girls frequently entered lightning competitions, which mainly promote quick thinking. The attacks did not lessen even when the three Polgár girls became increasingly strong players, only their direction changed. Mr. Polgar was no longer attacked because he set an impossible goal, but because he did not allow his daughters to enter women's tournaments. They forgot that the reason why the girls developed at such a rapid pace, was because they played men's chess: the problem was they did not give up the original goal, and were not satisfied with modest success. They wanted more. And in spite of the fact that their positions on the women's world ranking list improved considerably, their enemies were of the view they had it too easy, as they played against men. The three Polgar sisters soon became a world attraction. Zsuzsa accepted offers to act as commentator on several occasions, frequently with leading television companies. She more and more frequently and successfully played against world-famous men Grand Masters. She played a doubles match on several occasions in the live broadcasts of West German television. The two younger girls were not idle either. They played at the world championships of their age groups, naturally, against boys. Last year, for instance, as a sort of warm-up to the Olympics, Judit won. HUNGARIAN RADIO PROGRAMS Indescribably Tragic Because of a close relationship forged between the Gray Panthers Peace Task Force and the Ukrainian Peace Committee over several years of joint ventures (including last year's Dnieper River Peace Cruise), the Ukrainians have presented to the Gray Panthers - for its exclusive use - two films of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. I saw one of the films at a national board meeting last year, and to say the footage is powerful, is an understatement. Shot by a cameraman who later died of radiation poisoning, the film begins on day one of the disaster. The camera picked up light flashes of radioactivity as the TV crew flew in a helicopter over the Chernobyl plant hours after the accident had intensified into a crisis. With the sound of a geiger counter relentlessly clicking in the background, a translator tells the story of the minute-by- minute struggle to containing the contamination at the site, to evacuate women and children, and to plan for the future of the region, Russia's breadbasket. Not only does the film I saw give graphic proof of the capacity for environmental destruction of a nuclear accident, but it points out the need for extraordinary human bravery and sacrifice in a time of such crisis. Without a doubt, this footage is among the most powerful anti-nuclear material currently in circulation. It teaches about the extreme danger we flirt with every day in this, the nuclear age. A.L. From the "Gray Panthers" NEW JERSEY________________________________________ WCTC - 1450 AM — New Brunswick. Sunday 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Hungarian Melody Time with host Peter Kara. Rutgers State University - 88.7 FM — New Brunswick. Sunday 6 to 7 p.m. István Szabó. host. WJDM - 1530 AM — Elizabeth. N.J. Sunday mornings 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. Nándor Erdci's 'Hungarian Rhapsody." NEW YORK ________________________________________ WNWK - 105.9 FM — New York. Saturday 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday 7 to 8 p.m. Gyula Apatini. host. PLEASE GIVE THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND! GIPSY COCTAIL BAR AMONG THE BEST. An appendix of the American Newsweek listed the World's Best Bars according to the opinion of the editors. From Eastern Europe only the Gipsy Cocktail Bar of the Budapest Duna Inter-Continental was found worthy of being included. Alexander (Sándor) Petőfi (1823-1849) THE DR A WING’S BARELY PASSED... The dawn barely passed, and now it’s night again, The springtime barely bloomed, and now again it’s snow. We barely were acquainted, darting girl, and now You are my wife, you married me so long ago. We only now have played upon our father’s knees, And very soon, nearby their sides, we both will dream... Life is nothing but a breath upon a mirror Or shadow of a cloud which runs across a stream. Translated bj Joseph Oran and W. Arthar Boggs New Chernobyl Film:
