Thomas Buxton Primary School takes on Judit Polgar

A Year 6 class from Thomas Buxton Primary School had an unforgettable opportunity to take on the legendary Grandmaster Judit Polgar in a simul as part of the festivities surrounding the Chess Olympiad in Hungary. The event saw GM Polgar simultaneously play on 30 boards at the Olympiad venue, while the Thomas Buxton students participated via a vote-chess format. With the guidance of FunMaster Mike from ChessKid, who relayed their moves onto the board, the children were able to strategize collectively against the strongest female chess player in history.

The children were clearly already highly engaged in the chess world showing impressive knowledge about the international chess scene and so were very excited to be playing Judit. Their enthusiasm reached new heights when their school received a special mention during the live broadcast, just after Argentine prodigy Faustino Oro made the ceremonial first move.

It was a pleasure to spend an afternoon considering each move carefully with the children in what quickly became a complex and high-level game. The class put up a good fight, going up an exchange against Judit, before the Grandmaster skilfully increased the pressure and forced a resignation.

Despite the loss, it was an extraordinary experience for the students, who were thrilled to have tested their skills against a chess legend.