25/12/2025
In 1991, on THIS DAY (22 December)...
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A win in the last round of the Hungarian Super-Championship in Budapest against Tibor Tolnai was essential for me to secure the title, but a draw would be enough for my third and final grandmaster norm. I had turned 15 in July, meaning that I could break Bobby Fischer’s long-lasting record and become the youngest ever grandmaster! The obvious question was whether to aim for a draw or go for the norm and the championship. ❓❓
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Before the last round, we had our third day off (a common feature in closed events at that time), which gave me some time to deal with this psychologically complicated situation. I was the rating favourite (2550 compared to Tibor’s 2480), but Tibor was an unpredictable player who could produce fantastic tactical games once in a while.
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Finally, I won the game and the Hungarian Super-Championship, which made me the youngest ever grandmaster at the time, at 15 years and 5 months.😉
(JP: How I Beat Fischer's Record) 📕
📷 Yvonne Hemsey (1992, New York)
