WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.180 Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. What if the 00:00:02.180 --> 00:00:04.259 world told you you couldn't before you even had 00:00:04.259 --> 00:00:06.120 a chance to start? That's a tough one to think 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:08.460 about. It is. Yeah. Today, we're taking a look 00:00:08.460 --> 00:00:11.359 at a memoir that flips that script entirely. 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:16.170 Totally. Rebel Queen by Susan Polgar. I love 00:00:16.170 --> 00:00:18.969 this book. It's a wild ride. It really is. And 00:00:18.969 --> 00:00:21.030 I think what really drew me to it initially, 00:00:21.230 --> 00:00:24.670 and maybe you too, is this idea of defying expectations. 00:00:25.329 --> 00:00:27.449 Oh, yeah, absolutely. It's not just a chess story. 00:00:27.649 --> 00:00:31.390 No. It's about this family, this experiment they 00:00:31.390 --> 00:00:34.549 embarked on, you know, to cultivate genius. Right. 00:00:34.590 --> 00:00:38.130 And then breaking into this, you know, male dominated 00:00:38.130 --> 00:00:41.609 world of competitive chess. Yeah. It's a memoir, 00:00:41.750 --> 00:00:44.570 right? Yes, it is a memoir. It's Susan Polgar's 00:00:44.570 --> 00:00:47.570 own. account it is of her incredible journey 00:00:47.570 --> 00:00:50.829 yeah from you know a young girl in hungary yeah 00:00:50.829 --> 00:00:54.250 to becoming a chess grandmaster becoming a legend 00:00:54.250 --> 00:00:57.590 a legend yeah so for those who haven't read the 00:00:57.590 --> 00:00:59.729 book yet and don't worry no spoilers here we 00:00:59.729 --> 00:01:02.020 won't spoil anything It essentially chronicles 00:01:02.020 --> 00:01:04.780 her life from, you know, her early introduction 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:08.840 to chess by her father, who had this really interesting 00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:14.040 educational philosophy to her rise through the 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:17.609 ranks of competitive chess. All while facing, 00:01:17.689 --> 00:01:20.370 you know. Obstacles. Yeah, all these obstacles 00:01:20.370 --> 00:01:23.129 and prejudices, you know, just because she was 00:01:23.129 --> 00:01:25.730 a woman. Yeah. In a very, very male dominated 00:01:25.730 --> 00:01:28.849 field. Exactly. So before we dive into the specifics. 00:01:28.969 --> 00:01:31.030 Yeah. What were some of the things that stood 00:01:31.030 --> 00:01:34.109 out to you as you're reading Rebel Queen? Well, 00:01:34.129 --> 00:01:36.349 for me, it was really that unwavering belief 00:01:36.349 --> 00:01:39.609 from Susan's parents. Oh, totally. I mean, they 00:01:39.609 --> 00:01:42.609 had this vision. Yeah. And they just stuck with 00:01:42.609 --> 00:01:44.650 it. Yeah. They were so committed to nurturing 00:01:44.650 --> 00:01:47.060 their daughter's talents. Yeah. And not just 00:01:47.060 --> 00:01:49.480 in chess, right? Not just in chess. No. They 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:53.019 believed in a holistic kind of. Approach to education. 00:01:53.180 --> 00:01:55.420 Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. Which is fascinating. 00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:58.340 And it makes you think, you know, how much of 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:00.540 a role does that kind of early support play? 00:02:00.700 --> 00:02:04.620 It does. It really makes you wonder. You know, 00:02:04.659 --> 00:02:07.200 I think about like my own childhood. Yeah. And 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:10.879 I wonder if. Did you have that? I mean, I had 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:13.800 supportive parents. Yeah. But not in that way. 00:02:14.020 --> 00:02:16.419 Not in that kind of very focused way? Focused 00:02:16.419 --> 00:02:19.120 and intentional. Intentional, yeah. They were 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:20.860 very much like, you know, you figure out what 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:23.319 you want to do and we'll support you. Yeah. But 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:25.759 this was like, no, we have this vision. We're 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:27.060 going to do that. And this is what we're going 00:02:27.060 --> 00:02:29.719 to do. Yeah. Yeah. And they homeschooled all 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:32.139 three of their daughters. They did. It was very 00:02:32.139 --> 00:02:34.340 unconventional. Very unconventional. Yeah. Yeah. 00:02:34.740 --> 00:02:37.080 And there was some controversy around that too, 00:02:37.180 --> 00:02:38.780 right? Oh, absolutely. There were a lot of people 00:02:38.780 --> 00:02:40.860 who criticized their methods. People thought 00:02:40.860 --> 00:02:43.090 they were, you know. Pushing their kids too hard. 00:02:43.189 --> 00:02:44.889 Right. Pushing them too hard. Robbing them of 00:02:44.889 --> 00:02:47.370 a normal childhood. Yeah. But, you know, from 00:02:47.370 --> 00:02:50.250 Susan's account, it doesn't seem like that at 00:02:50.250 --> 00:02:52.710 all. It really doesn't. It seems like they genuinely 00:02:52.710 --> 00:02:56.009 loved the game. Yeah. And it was all very much, 00:02:56.050 --> 00:02:59.229 you know, encouraged by their own passions. Yeah. 00:02:59.289 --> 00:03:01.250 It seemed like fun for them. Yeah. Like a family 00:03:01.250 --> 00:03:03.789 activity. Yeah. Like a big adventure. Exactly. 00:03:03.870 --> 00:03:07.229 And I think that's key. You know. Total. When 00:03:07.229 --> 00:03:09.889 you look at their success, it wasn't just drilling 00:03:09.889 --> 00:03:12.740 and practice. Right. It was. cultivating a love 00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:15.500 for learning and for the game itself yeah it 00:03:15.500 --> 00:03:18.060 was about fostering that intrinsic motivation 00:03:18.060 --> 00:03:20.340 yes exactly right like you were saying earlier 00:03:20.340 --> 00:03:23.439 you know it's one thing to be like you have to 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:25.479 do this you have to do that right but when it 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:28.699 comes from a place of joy and genuine interest 00:03:28.699 --> 00:03:30.699 yeah the results are just different the results 00:03:30.699 --> 00:03:32.539 are different you're gonna stick with it longer 00:03:32.539 --> 00:03:34.800 you're more resilient you're gonna be more creative 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:37.979 you're gonna think outside the box exactly which 00:03:37.979 --> 00:03:40.699 is I think crucial in any field, but especially 00:03:40.699 --> 00:03:42.979 in something like chess. Yeah. Where you have 00:03:42.979 --> 00:03:45.840 to constantly be adapting and strategizing and 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:48.740 thinking ahead. Yeah. And and I think the book 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:52.039 also does a great job of capturing, you know, 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:55.939 those early days of Susan's, you know, immersion 00:03:55.939 --> 00:03:59.020 in the world of chess. Like her first tournament. 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:02.099 Do you remember that part? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:05.180 mean, the way she describes her father. introducing 00:04:05.180 --> 00:04:08.539 her to the game yeah it's almost like he's unlocking 00:04:08.539 --> 00:04:11.159 a secret world for her it's like a magical thing 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:13.080 yeah it's magical yeah and you can just feel 00:04:13.080 --> 00:04:16.120 her excitement as she starts to grasp strategies 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:19.220 and the possibilities you know like she's opening 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:21.319 up this whole new dimension of thinking yeah 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:23.480 yeah it's really cool and the fact that she was 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:27.439 beating adults at such a young age at like five 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:30.100 or six years old yeah it's mind -blowing it's 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:33.589 incredible and you know obviously talent plays 00:04:33.589 --> 00:04:36.050 a role of course but i think it's also a testament 00:04:36.050 --> 00:04:39.189 to the environment the environment yeah as she 00:04:39.189 --> 00:04:41.569 was in and the encouragement that she received 00:04:41.569 --> 00:04:43.269 absolutely you know and speaking of obstacles 00:04:43.269 --> 00:04:45.250 you mentioned them earlier i mean reading about 00:04:45.250 --> 00:04:49.329 her determination to compete at the highest levels 00:04:49.329 --> 00:04:52.990 despite facing you know all the skepticism and 00:04:52.990 --> 00:04:55.089 prejudice and prejudice just because she was 00:04:55.089 --> 00:04:58.379 a girl yeah In this world. It's infuriating. 00:04:58.420 --> 00:05:00.779 It's so frustrating. It's so frustrating, you 00:05:00.779 --> 00:05:02.399 know? Like you want to reach through the pages 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:05.060 and shake people. I know, right? You know, you 00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:07.620 read these accounts of these dismissive attitudes. 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:10.920 Yeah. Even when she was beating top players. 00:05:11.060 --> 00:05:13.779 Even when she was winning. Yeah. It's like they 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:15.279 couldn't wrap their heads around it. It's like 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:18.160 they had this preconceived notion of what a chess 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:20.319 player should be. What a chess player should 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:23.459 look like. And it wasn't her. And it wasn't a 00:05:23.459 --> 00:05:27.740 young girl. Yeah, and it's just... It's a reflection 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:30.740 of a larger societal issue. Totally. You know, 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:33.279 the undervaluing and underestimating. Of women. 00:05:33.620 --> 00:05:36.000 Of women in intellectual fields. And it's not 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:39.220 just chess. Not at all. It's everywhere. It's 00:05:39.220 --> 00:05:41.500 everywhere. It's in science. It's in tech. It's 00:05:41.500 --> 00:05:45.740 in academia. You name it. And it's, you know, 00:05:45.779 --> 00:05:48.060 it's something that we still grapple with today. 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:51.459 Yeah, absolutely. And so to see her, you know, 00:05:51.459 --> 00:05:55.800 breaking through those barriers. It's in. It's 00:05:55.800 --> 00:05:58.139 incredibly inspiring. It's so powerful. Yeah. 00:05:58.300 --> 00:06:00.800 Because it shows you that it is possible. To 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:03.620 defy those expectations. Yeah. To overcome those 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:05.740 limitations. Yeah. And to achieve greatness. 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:08.639 Absolutely. On your own terms. Yes. And I think 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:11.600 another thing that struck me about the book was. 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:15.360 The political obstacles that she faced. Oh, yeah. 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:17.819 That was really tough to read about. It was really 00:06:17.819 --> 00:06:19.459 tough. You know, if you're during the Cold War. 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:22.319 Yeah. The travel restrictions. A government interference. 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:24.740 It's like they couldn't separate her talent from 00:06:24.740 --> 00:06:26.800 politics. From politics. Yeah. And it's like, 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:30.160 come on. You know, it's so frustrating. This 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:32.480 is a young woman. She just wants to play chess. 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:36.329 Who's brilliant at what she does. Yeah. let her 00:06:36.329 --> 00:06:39.449 play yeah and it makes you wonder what could 00:06:39.449 --> 00:06:41.610 she have achieved if she hadn't had to deal with 00:06:41.610 --> 00:06:43.529 all of that if she hadn't had those limitations 00:06:43.529 --> 00:06:46.290 yeah you know it's it's hard not to think about 00:06:46.290 --> 00:06:48.649 that it is but it also makes her accomplishment 00:06:48.649 --> 00:06:51.089 even more impressive even more impressive that 00:06:51.089 --> 00:06:54.449 she was able to achieve what she did despite 00:06:54.449 --> 00:06:56.970 all of that despite all of that yeah it's really 00:06:56.970 --> 00:07:00.790 remarkable it is so overall yeah i found rebel 00:07:00.790 --> 00:07:04.360 queen to be Just an incredible read. Me too. 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:07.079 I mean, it's compelling. It's insightful. It's 00:07:07.079 --> 00:07:10.040 inspiring. And it's so well written. Yeah. You 00:07:10.040 --> 00:07:11.800 really feel like you're there with her. You're 00:07:11.800 --> 00:07:14.160 right there with her. Experiencing everything. 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:16.680 Experiencing everything. Yeah. The highs, the 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:19.519 lows, the frustration. The triumphs. The triumphs. 00:07:19.620 --> 00:07:23.180 It's a really powerful story. It is. And I would 00:07:23.180 --> 00:07:25.060 give it. What would you give it? I would give 00:07:25.060 --> 00:07:28.560 it a solid 4 .5 out of 5 stars. Oh, wow. Yeah. 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:30.759 I really enjoyed it. It's great. I would agree 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:33.420 with that rating. Yeah. It's a great book. It's 00:07:33.420 --> 00:07:35.639 a great book. And I highly recommend it to anyone 00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:38.800 who's interested. In, you know, not just chess. 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:42.439 Right. But in stories of resilience. Of overcoming 00:07:42.439 --> 00:07:45.040 adversity. Of challenging the status quo. Of 00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:47.379 pursuing your passions. Of pursuing your passions. 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:50.560 Yeah. It's really a story for everyone. I think 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:53.279 so. Yeah. So that was our deep dive. Into Rebel 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:57.779 Queen. Into Susan Polgar's Rebel Queen. Yeah. 00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:00.740 If you enjoyed this conversation. Yeah. Be sure 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:02.860 to like and subscribe to the show. Don't forget 00:08:02.860 --> 00:08:04.740 to hit that notification bell. So you don't miss 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:07.699 out on any of our future deep dives. We have 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:09.519 some great stuff coming up. We do. We have some 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:11.899 exciting stuff planned. Yeah. So stay tuned. 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:14.680 And also we'd love to hear from you. Yeah. What 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:16.939 was your favorite moment? From Susan's story. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:19.759 From Susan's story. Or from our discussion. Yeah. 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:23.220 Or. If you've read the book, what were your thoughts? 00:08:23.939 --> 00:08:25.980 Share your insights. Share your insights. Leave 00:08:25.980 --> 00:08:28.379 a comment below. Yeah. We love reading your comments. 00:08:28.579 --> 00:08:30.720 We love hearing from you guys. It's always great 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:33.840 to get different perspectives. And if you know 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:37.379 someone who might enjoy this deep dive. Please 00:08:37.379 --> 00:08:40.200 share it. Share it. Spread the word. Spread the 00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:42.440 word. We believe everyone has a story to tell. 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:45.240 Exactly. And Susan Polgar's story. Is one that 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:47.139 deserves to be heard. Definitely deserves to 00:08:47.139 --> 00:08:49.659 be heard. So thanks for joining us today. Yeah. 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:51.320 We'll see you next time. See you next time.