Queen of Chess

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Queen of Chess

2026

1h 33m

Biography

Documentary

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86%

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14 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Hungarian chess prodigy Judit Polgár challenges champion Garry Kasparov and her controlling father over 15 years, breaking gender barriers to become the greatest female player ever.

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Sarah Dempster

Guardian

Feb 7

3/5

There is... the persistent sense that there’s more to Polgár’s story; that if only Emmy-winning director Rory Kennedy had been steadier with her magnifying glass the results might not feel so emotionally underdeveloped.

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John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

Feb 6

Ms. Kennedy does such an outstanding job of creating suspense out of what is now 30-year-old history... I don’t play chess. It didn’t matter.

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Alissa Wilkinson

New York Times

Feb 6

It’s a good story, well told, and Polgar makes for an interesting subject.

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Belen Prieto

Espinof

2d

4/5

...although 'Queen of Chess' rightly celebrates an extraordinary career, it also leaves the feeling that, behind this champion, there is still a more complex story to be told. [Full review in Spanish]

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Leontxo García

El Pais (Spain)

Feb 13

The documentary "Queen of Chess" (Netflix) brilliantly highlights [Judit Polgár's] extraordinary achievement, but doesn't delve into her education or the stark scarcity of women...in a sport where physical strength is irrelevant. [Full review in Spanish]

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Dillon Gonzales

Geek Vibes Nation

Feb 13

7/10

While it may be too late for some to internalize this during their formative years, it is rewarding to have this inspirational portrait for generations to come.

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GebtMirEuerGeld M

@allilomis 36m

Really engaging, a must for every Chess fan

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Carl V.

@cvarne 13h

Engaging, informative and inspiring! Compelling story. Nice to know this child prodigy grew up steady and happy, not to mention successfully!

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Stephanie L

@StephYYZ Feb 15

Loved watching this with my family- we all enjoyed it (and we are not chess players). The story of the Polgars is so interesting- it sounds more like a tale of fiction- you can't help but be engaged in it as it unfolds. Definitely worth the watch and will leave you with lots to think about.

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Christina N.

Feb 15

I love a great documentary and learning about someone who was not not on my radar before. All the sisters are inspiring and I believe they had a great deal of influence on women’s rights. The male comments about female brain power are insane. When you have to fight all obstacles and still prevail- inspiring!

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Les N

@Vegas628 Feb 10

Surprised that this happened during my era and I didn't know about it?

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The Impartial R

@TheImpartialReview Feb 10

A great story but in a sea of men who had trained all their lives to become champions, the director may have made a film about how if fathers teach their daughters they will also be brilliant. This film leaves out all the incredible accomplishments of 2 daughters (e.g., Sophia Polgar's Miracle or Sac of Rome) to focus on the third daughter's difficulty in defeating Garry Kasparov. Garry tries to explain but the director will have none of it. She turns the father into a ambiguous figure even though he proved that we can teach our children to become geniuses and took his from poverty to stardom. The director could have mentioned that while Judit was a better player her country was training Topalov to become world champions (which he did) while ignoring her. Not mentioned in the film as our many other details that would have made for a great film.

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Rory Kennedy

Director

Judit Polgár

Self

Garry Kasparov

Self

Mark Bailey

Writer

Keven McAlester

Writer

Mark Bailey

Screenwriter

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Synopsis

Hungarian chess prodigy Judit Polgár challenges champion Garry Kasparov and her controlling father over 15 years, breaking gender barriers to become the greatest female player ever.

Director: Rory Kennedy
Producer: Rory Kennedy, Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester
Screenwriter: Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester, Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester
Distributor: Netflix
Genre: Biography, Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 6, 2026
Runtime: 1h 33m

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