On 22 February Commissioner Gabriel met with chess Grand Master Ms Judith Polgar, universally considered as the greatest female chess player of all time. She was trained to play chess from a very young age, as part of an “educational experiment” by her parents, whose aim was to prove that anyone is capable of high achievement in any field, as long as they receive appropriate and specialised training starting in early childhood. And indeed, Ms Polgar was the youngest chess Grand Master ever, obtaining the title at the age of 15. Her accomplishments are shattering gender stereotypes in a field traditionally dominated by men. Ms Polgar and the Commissioner exchanged on gender equality in education – especially in the STEM area, where girls and women are still under-represented – and on the contribution that chess can give to education and to achieving the European Education Area, as a powerful educational tool in schools all over the world.
