Her Brilliant Brain

Susan Polgar was the first woman to achieve the rank of grandmaster. Recently, she was featured on British television in a series called My Brilliant Brain.

My favorite part is when Polgar undergoes an MRI scan of her brain while she is looking at photographs of famous chess players, and then at chess positions from games that she has played in the past. The MRI scan reveals that, in both cases, she uses the same part of her brain. This means that, for Polgar, remembering a chess position is no more difficult than recognizing a familiar face!

You can watch the program here.