YDS READING PASSAGES / TEST 4 4. Soru

-2. POLGAR SISTERS

Chess had always been the domain of males. However, male domination of this game experienced a shock when three Hungarian sisters moved into the front line of world-class players. The feats of the Polgar sisters at early ages, in fact, matched or surpassed some of those of the greatest male players. In December 1991, at the age of 15, the youngest sister, Judit, achieved the rank of grandmaster against male competition, replacing Bobby Fischer as the youngest person in chess history to have won this honour. Although Susan was the eldest, she ranked as the number two woman player in the world behind Judit, who was acclaimed number one. The other sister, Sofia, lagged a bit behind: she was "only" the world's sixth-ranked woman player, though, according to their father, Laszlo, Sofia was the most talented of the three. The chess-playing Polgar sisters, according to their father, achieved their uncommon abilities as the result of a carefully planned educational program. A psychologist, Polgar held a theory that "geniuses" are made, not born, and that early training and specialisation were the key. He set out to prove his theory and determined that his children would focus on chess when Susan at the age of 4 expressed interest in the game. From that time Susan -and the others, when they came along — were immersed in a chess environment. Each of the girls began learning the game at 4, and eventually their daily training included five or more hours a day of playing time. Physical training was also included in the schedule for diversion and in order to build endurance for gruelling matches. The sisters never attended school, having been tutored entirely at home by their parents. Through their mother, Klara, who taught several languages, and their international travels, the three learned English, Russian, Spanish, German and even some Esperanto.

According to Laszlo Polgar ------ .