From: Jessica Lauser
To:
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:53:29 -0700
Subject: A perfectly sound 'exchange'
Dear Fred,

I've recently heard an interesting version of a verbal exchange
between Jerry and Susan Polgar, at last year's National Open, going
around. As a rule, I generally stay out of chess politics because my
own life is interesting enough without the added drama. In this case,
however, I felt it best to set the record straight since I personally
witnessed, first-hand, the conversation in question, and my
experience, in no way, matches what is apparently being touted as
fact.

The 'incident' itself, lasted all of a couple minutes, and took place
the night Jerry got into the Riviera, after I had gone with a member
of the staff, if you recall, to pick him up at the airport. We had
arrived a few minutes earlier, had gotten checked in, and were waiting
at the bell desk for assistance with Jerry's luggage, when he noticed
Susan Polgar waiting at the front desk, nearby.

When he recognized her standing there, he said to me, in a pleasant
tone, "Oh, there's Susan Polgar, I think I'll go and say hello." He
then nudged his cart the 5 or 6 feet over to her, and I listened to
them talk quietly, the entire time.

Upon exchanging hellos, Jerry told Susan not to worry - that he wasn't
going to get into any political debates with her during this trip, but
that he hoped things could be civil between them. Susan seemed a
little hesitant, responding without saying much. Pretty soon, they
ended on reasonable terms after Jerry said, again pleasantly, "Oh, and
congratulations on your marriage." to which Susan replied with a
simple, albeit flat, "Thank you." before Jerry rode away. From what I
could tell, there was no unpleasantness, nor any indication that Jerry
could have offended Susan, so it's rather confusing to hear of another
rendition of what happened, especially one so fundamentally different.

Simply put, there was no shouting, raised voices, or any "abuse"
whatsoever. In fact, I may be visually impaired, but my limitation in
this way, has left me with excellent hearing. I sometimes regret this
ability when I encounter certain kinds of metal detectors, as I can
hear the high-pitched tones they emit, to which fully-sighted folks
seem luckily oblivious.

At any rate, the atmosphere of the exchange was very calm, and quiet,
and, besides myself, there were even 2-3 people in line, behind Susan,
who were standing there, yawning tiredly, likely after a long trip. I
highly doubt their quiet reverie would have been possible in the face
of a horrendous shouting- or cursing-match. In addition to the other
guests, there were also a number of hotel employees present, from the
receptionists behind the desk, to those running the snack kiosk
opposite where Jerry and I were standing.

All in all, the reports of what took place are blatantly false. I'm
sure that had there been the kind of exchange that is being cited as
fact by the proponents of the Polgar camp, it would have been the talk
of the tournament, immediately, before the first round had even begun,
long before now, rather than merely 'surfacing' nearly a year after
the conversation in question initially took place.

I hope this helps clear up any further confusion about this particular
incident. As a chessplayer, I can honestly say, that the 'exchange'
here was 'perfectly sound'.

Best regards,


-Jessica Lauser