Hungary's PM Péter Magyar: 'It would be great honour if world‑class chess player Judit Polgár accepted the presidency'
The prime minister wrote on Facebook that on Monday he will meet the world‑class chess player and ask whether, until the new constitution is adopted, she would accept the role.
Péter Magyar, the prime minister, has invited Judit Polgár, the most successful female chess player the world has ever seen, to become Hungary’s president. Polgár is the only woman in the history of chess to have broken the 2700 Elo rating barrier for super-grandmasters. She led the women’s world rankings for 26 consecutive years, achieved a career-best of eighth place on the overall world list, and is a two-time women’s Chess Olympiad champion. The widely respected athlete has not previously taken on any political role.
“Our country needs unity, peace and a president in whom every Hungarian can be proud. The presidency is not a profession, not a job, but the highest form of service. The president’s duty is to serve and to represent every Hungarian.
"The Judit Polgár put forward today as president by recognised figures of Hungarian public life is such a person, which is why I will meet her on Monday and ask whether, until the adoption of the new constitution, she is prepared to serve our country in a new role," the prime minister wrote in his Sunday evening Facebook post (source in Hungarian).
"For decades, Judit Polgár's name has been synonymous with talent and perseverance. As the most successful female player in chess history, she led the women's world rankings uninterrupted for 26 years, while also breaking into the top ten of the overall world list.
"A five-time Chess Olympiad champion, international grandmaster and recipient of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary, her extraordinary life story was recently presented in the documentary film The Queen of Chess.
"A few weeks ago, Christ’s College at the University of Cambridge elected her to its fellowship. Judit Polgár's career to date has always been about performance. The esteem in which she is held is not due to political loyalties or connections, but to her exceptional talent, diligence, extraordinary stamina and integrity.
"She is a Hungarian whose achievements inspire respect and admiration at home and across the world", Magyar continued in his post.
At the beginning of July, the prime minister posted a photo on his social media accounts showing him playing chess with Judit Polgár. Since then there has been lively speculation as to whether Magyar is considering her as his candidate for head of state.
On Saturday evening, President Tamás Sulyok announced that he would sign the 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law. His mandate will end on the day after the law is promulgated, meaning that from midnight on Sunday he is no longer Hungary’s president. For one month, the office will be held by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ágnes Forsthoffer.
On Sunday, sixteen leading figures from science, culture and sport wrote a letter to Forsthoffer, proposing chess player Judit Polgár for the presidency. The Ügyvédkör lawyers’ group, meanwhile, announced it is putting forward Péter Bárándy as its candidate for president.
Hungary PM proposes chess great Judit
Polgar for president
Budapest (AFP) – Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar wants chess legend Judit Polgar to become the country's president as part of his political remake after forcing an ally of his nationalist predecessor Viktor Orban from office.
Issued on: 20/07/2026 - RFI
The pro-European Union conservative leader was to meet Polgar, who is considered the greatest woman chess player of all time, on Monday to ask if she would take the post.
Magyar, who swept into power on the promise of "regime change" after ending Orban's hardline 16-year tenure, vowed to propose a political outsider after ejecting unpopular President Tomas Sulyok by constitutional amendment.
"Our country needs unity, peace and a president of whom all Hungarians can be proud," Magyar said on Facebook late Sunday, adding that he will meet with Polgar on Monday to ask her if she would be willing to serve.
Polgar, who will turn 50 on Thursday, was the top-ranked woman chess player for 25 years before retiring in 2014. She commands widespread respect and has little association with political parties.
But Magyar faced criticism for pushing ahead with her nomination on Sunday, a day after pledging a public consultation on the matter.
"She is an unorthodox choice, as all previous Hungarian presidents had political experience," Peter Kreko, head of the Budapest-based Political Capital think tank, told AFP.
Kreko noted that Polgar had international experience, having met dozens of world leaders in past decades while advocating for chess, talent development and education.
"She could play a great complementary diplomatic role, which is particularly important now, because Hungary's transformation attracts significant international interest," Kreko added.
Queen's Gambit
Polgar remains the only woman to have reached the chess world's overall top 10.
Her career has often drawn comparisons with the hit Netflix show "The Queen's Gambit", with Polgar saying that she enjoyed the show's "attention to detail".
Polgar has frequently spoken out against the sexism and stereotypes she had to tackle in the male-dominated sport, telling AFP in a 2020 interview that "I had to prove myself more than if I were a boy".
She scored notable victories against several male world champions, including Russia's Garry Kasparov in 2002.
After retiring from competitive chess in 2014, she turned her attention to education and promoting chess amongst young people.
Her name as a possible presidential nominee was first put forward in an open letter signed by sixteen prominent Hungarians, including the inventor of the Rubik's Cube, Erno Rubik.
Polgar has not commented publicly on the proposal.
Orban 'puppet'
Her proposed ascent to high office comes after Hungarian lawmakers last week passed an amendment removing Sulyok, whose last day in office was on Sunday.
Sulyok denounced the amendment as the end of "democratic rule of law" in Hungary, but still signed it on Saturday, saying he had no recourse to challenge it.
Magyar has accused the unpopular Sulyok and other top state officials of being nationalist Orban's "puppets".
Some rights groups have criticised the constitutional change, with Human Rights Watch saying the tinkering was "reminiscent of (the) Fidesz era", referring to Orban's party. Fidesz has criticised the ousting.
But Magyar insisted the tweak was a necessary step towards loosening Orban's grip on the Hungarian state.
A former head of the Constitutional Court, Sulyok was little known to the public before his election for a five-year term in 2024.
Polls suggested that a vast majority of Hungarians wanted him gone.
Agnes Forsthoffer, the speaker of parliament, is temporarily serving as head of state until parliament elects a new president.
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