Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. What if the
world told you you couldn't before you even had
a chance to start? That's a tough one to think
about. It is. Yeah. Today, we're taking a look
at a memoir that flips that script entirely.
Totally. Rebel Queen by Susan Polgar. I love
this book. It's a wild ride. It really is. And
I think what really drew me to it initially,
and maybe you too, is this idea of defying expectations.
Oh, yeah, absolutely. It's not just a chess story.
No. It's about this family, this experiment they
embarked on, you know, to cultivate genius. Right.
And then breaking into this, you know, male dominated
world of competitive chess. Yeah. It's a memoir,
right? Yes, it is a memoir. It's Susan Polgar's
own. account it is of her incredible journey
yeah from you know a young girl in hungary yeah
to becoming a chess grandmaster becoming a legend
a legend yeah so for those who haven't read the
book yet and don't worry no spoilers here we
won't spoil anything It essentially chronicles
her life from, you know, her early introduction
to chess by her father, who had this really interesting
educational philosophy to her rise through the
ranks of competitive chess. All while facing,
you know. Obstacles. Yeah, all these obstacles
and prejudices, you know, just because she was
a woman. Yeah. In a very, very male dominated
field. Exactly. So before we dive into the specifics.
Yeah. What were some of the things that stood
out to you as you're reading Rebel Queen? Well,
for me, it was really that unwavering belief
from Susan's parents. Oh, totally. I mean, they
had this vision. Yeah. And they just stuck with
it. Yeah. They were so committed to nurturing
their daughter's talents. Yeah. And not just
in chess, right? Not just in chess. No. They
believed in a holistic kind of. Approach to education.
Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. Which is fascinating.
And it makes you think, you know, how much of
a role does that kind of early support play?
It does. It really makes you wonder. You know,
I think about like my own childhood. Yeah. And
I wonder if. Did you have that? I mean, I had
supportive parents. Yeah. But not in that way.
Not in that kind of very focused way? Focused
and intentional. Intentional, yeah. They were
very much like, you know, you figure out what
you want to do and we'll support you. Yeah. But
this was like, no, we have this vision. We're
going to do that. And this is what we're going
to do. Yeah. Yeah. And they homeschooled all
three of their daughters. They did. It was very
unconventional. Very unconventional. Yeah. Yeah.
And there was some controversy around that too,
right? Oh, absolutely. There were a lot of people
who criticized their methods. People thought
they were, you know. Pushing their kids too hard.
Right. Pushing them too hard. Robbing them of
a normal childhood. Yeah. But, you know, from
Susan's account, it doesn't seem like that at
all. It really doesn't. It seems like they genuinely
loved the game. Yeah. And it was all very much,
you know, encouraged by their own passions. Yeah.
It seemed like fun for them. Yeah. Like a family
activity. Yeah. Like a big adventure. Exactly.
And I think that's key. You know. Total. When
you look at their success, it wasn't just drilling
and practice. Right. It was. cultivating a love
for learning and for the game itself yeah it
was about fostering that intrinsic motivation
yes exactly right like you were saying earlier
you know it's one thing to be like you have to
do this you have to do that right but when it
comes from a place of joy and genuine interest
yeah the results are just different the results
are different you're gonna stick with it longer
you're more resilient you're gonna be more creative
you're gonna think outside the box exactly which
is I think crucial in any field, but especially
in something like chess. Yeah. Where you have
to constantly be adapting and strategizing and
thinking ahead. Yeah. And and I think the book
also does a great job of capturing, you know,
those early days of Susan's, you know, immersion
in the world of chess. Like her first tournament.
Do you remember that part? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I
mean, the way she describes her father. introducing
her to the game yeah it's almost like he's unlocking
a secret world for her it's like a magical thing
yeah it's magical yeah and you can just feel
her excitement as she starts to grasp strategies
and the possibilities you know like she's opening
up this whole new dimension of thinking yeah
yeah it's really cool and the fact that she was
beating adults at such a young age at like five
or six years old yeah it's mind -blowing it's
incredible and you know obviously talent plays
a role of course but i think it's also a testament
to the environment the environment yeah as she
was in and the encouragement that she received
absolutely you know and speaking of obstacles
you mentioned them earlier i mean reading about
her determination to compete at the highest levels
despite facing you know all the skepticism and
prejudice and prejudice just because she was
a girl yeah In this world. It's infuriating.
It's so frustrating. It's so frustrating, you
know? Like you want to reach through the pages
and shake people. I know, right? You know, you
read these accounts of these dismissive attitudes.
Yeah. Even when she was beating top players.
Even when she was winning. Yeah. It's like they
couldn't wrap their heads around it. It's like
they had this preconceived notion of what a chess
player should be. What a chess player should
look like. And it wasn't her. And it wasn't a
young girl. Yeah, and it's just... It's a reflection
of a larger societal issue. Totally. You know,
the undervaluing and underestimating. Of women.
Of women in intellectual fields. And it's not
just chess. Not at all. It's everywhere. It's
everywhere. It's in science. It's in tech. It's
in academia. You name it. And it's, you know,
it's something that we still grapple with today.
Yeah, absolutely. And so to see her, you know,
breaking through those barriers. It's in. It's
incredibly inspiring. It's so powerful. Yeah.
Because it shows you that it is possible. To
defy those expectations. Yeah. To overcome those
limitations. Yeah. And to achieve greatness.
Absolutely. On your own terms. Yes. And I think
another thing that struck me about the book was.
The political obstacles that she faced. Oh, yeah.
That was really tough to read about. It was really
tough. You know, if you're during the Cold War.
Yeah. The travel restrictions. A government interference.
It's like they couldn't separate her talent from
politics. From politics. Yeah. And it's like,
come on. You know, it's so frustrating. This
is a young woman. She just wants to play chess.
Who's brilliant at what she does. Yeah. let her
play yeah and it makes you wonder what could
she have achieved if she hadn't had to deal with
all of that if she hadn't had those limitations
yeah you know it's it's hard not to think about
that it is but it also makes her accomplishment
even more impressive even more impressive that
she was able to achieve what she did despite
all of that despite all of that yeah it's really
remarkable it is so overall yeah i found rebel
queen to be Just an incredible read. Me too.
I mean, it's compelling. It's insightful. It's
inspiring. And it's so well written. Yeah. You
really feel like you're there with her. You're
right there with her. Experiencing everything.
Experiencing everything. Yeah. The highs, the
lows, the frustration. The triumphs. The triumphs.
It's a really powerful story. It is. And I would
give it. What would you give it? I would give
it a solid 4 .5 out of 5 stars. Oh, wow. Yeah.
I really enjoyed it. It's great. I would agree
with that rating. Yeah. It's a great book. It's
a great book. And I highly recommend it to anyone
who's interested. In, you know, not just chess.
Right. But in stories of resilience. Of overcoming
adversity. Of challenging the status quo. Of
pursuing your passions. Of pursuing your passions.
Yeah. It's really a story for everyone. I think
so. Yeah. So that was our deep dive. Into Rebel
Queen. Into Susan Polgar's Rebel Queen. Yeah.
If you enjoyed this conversation. Yeah. Be sure
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out on any of our future deep dives. We have
some great stuff coming up. We do. We have some
exciting stuff planned. Yeah. So stay tuned.
And also we'd love to hear from you. Yeah. What
was your favorite moment? From Susan's story.
From Susan's story. Or from our discussion. Yeah.
Or. If you've read the book, what were your thoughts?
Share your insights. Share your insights. Leave
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We love hearing from you guys. It's always great
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word. We believe everyone has a story to tell.
Exactly. And Susan Polgar's story. Is one that
deserves to be heard. Definitely deserves to
be heard. So thanks for joining us today. Yeah.
We'll see you next time. See you next time.