FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	                   Contact:	Eric C. Johnson
August 10, 1998                            (845) 562-8350
Press Release #41 of 1998

GM Judith Polgar Becomes First Woman to Win U.S. Open

GM Judith Polgar, 22-year old from Hungary, became the first female player to win the U.S. Open Chess Championship when she defeated U.S. Champion GM Joel Benjamin at the Cardoza U.S. Open in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, which concluded Sunday at the Kona Surf Resort.

She shared first place with former U.S. Champion GM Boris Gulko with a score of 7 wins and two draws. Polgar, the greatest female player of all time, was the top seed in the event, by Gulko had just won the Saitek U.S. Masters in Honolulu, July 21-29. The two played to a draw in round seven of the nine round event.

Over three hundred players from a dozen countries competed in the event, which was sponsored by Cardoza Publishing. Each player received $3,750 of the total prize fund of $22,000. The tournament was organized by the United States Chess Federation, the Hawaii Chess Federation, and Chessworks Unlimited. Full coverage of the event is available at the Konasys sponsor site.

For more information about this and other chess events, contact Assistant Director Eric C. Johnson, U.S. Chess Federation, 3054 NYS Route 9W, New Windsor, NY 12553; phone: (845) 562-8350; FAX: (914) 561-2437; or see our weekly news column on the World Wide Web: http://www.uschess.org.