A scarce 2006 commemorative chess medal dedicated to Judit Polgar, issued in connection with the Euro Chess Tournament in Hengelo, the Netherlands, and the charitable organisation Right to Play.

The obverse features a photographic portrait of Judit Polgar at the chessboard. Around the portrait appear the inscriptions “Euro Chess Tournament”, “Hengelo (NL) 2006”, “August 7 to 12” and “Right to Play”. Above the portrait is the name “Judit Polgar”, while below it the medal identifies her as “International Grandmaster” and “World no. 1 woman since 1989”.

The medal measures approximately 38 mm in diameter and has a gold-coloured finish. The reverse depicts the historic building of the Royal Dutch Mint in Utrecht, together with the traditional Dutch inscription “Het geld hier uit metaal verkregen zij nooit ten vloek doch steeds ten zegen”. The medal is housed in a clear protective capsule and presented in its original black case bearing the Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (Royal Dutch Mint) logo.

This issue is particularly well documented. Contemporary reporting records that a special medal bearing Judit Polgar’s portrait was struck by the Royal Dutch Mint for the Euro Chess Tournament 2006. On 29 October 2006, the medal was formally presented to Polgar by Albert Vasse of Stichting Caissa together with Olivia Ansenk of Right to Play. A substantial part of the proceeds was intended for Right to Play, giving the piece a clear charitable as well as chess-historical context.

Polgar was associated with the project as a Child Aid Chess Ambassador, reinforcing the connection between the medal, elite chess and charitable work for children.

Provenance: this example comes from material originating from the estate of Albert Vasse, former director of DGT and a prominent figure in Dutch chess organisation. Vasse was personally involved in the presentation of this Polgar medal in 2006, giving the present piece unusually direct provenance within the original organising circle.

The exact mintage of the Judit Polgar medal is not known. A specialist collector catalogue records the medal but provides no production figure. It should therefore be described as a scarce commemorative event medal rather than as a specifically numbered limited edition unless further documentary evidence becomes available.

Judit Polgar is widely regarded as the strongest female chess player in history. She became a grandmaster in 1991 at the age of 15, spent many years as the highest-rated woman in the world, entered the overall world top ten, and defeated numerous World Champions and leading grandmasters during her career.

Specifications

Historical Context

The Polgar issue fits into a small sequence of Hengelo chess-event medals devoted to internationally known chess figures. Related issues are known for Jan Timman (2004), Anatoly Karpov (2005), Judit Polgar (2006) and Garry Kasparov (2007). The progression by year and player strongly supports viewing these pieces as a coherent multi-year Dutch chess medal series associated with the Hengelo / Euro Chess Tournament environment.

The 2006 medal is especially attractive from a documentary standpoint because its connection with the Royal Dutch Mint, Albert Vasse and Right to Play is supported by contemporary reporting rather than inferred solely from the surviving object.

Provenance

From a group originating from the estate of Albert Vasse, former director of DGT and a long-standing figure in Dutch chess. The material later passed through the regional chess community to the present owner. In the case of this specific 2006 issue, Vasse is independently documented as one of the people who formally presented the medal to Judit Polgar, which gives the provenance particular significance.

Condition

The medal remains housed in its clear protective capsule and is accompanied by the original black presentation case. The case displays the Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt logo. The photographs show an attractive complete presentation; please refer to the images for the precise cosmetic condition of the medal, capsule and case.

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