Hungary calls world chess champion for president

A Facebook post turned Hungarian politics upside down overnight.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced: he will offer the position of president of the country to Judit Polgar, a chess player who in the chess world is called the strongest woman in the history of the game, reports xrust. The post appeared on Sunday, and on Monday Magyar plans to personally meet Polgar and propose to her.

Why chess

The position of the president in Hungary is largely ceremonial—real power remains with the prime minister and parliament. But the symbolic significance of the figure is great: according to Magyar, the country now needs a person who can personify the unity of the nation, and not party interests.

According to him, the presidency is not a profession, but the highest form of public service, the task of which is to represent every Hungarian. Considering that 49-year-old Polgar is a figure outside of politics and at the same time the national pride of Hungary, the choice looks like a logical move for a country where power changed after the April elections.

Polgar’s candidacy was supported not only by the prime minister himself: shortly before the announcement, 16 well-known figures of Hungarian science, culture and sports sent an open letter to the speaker of parliament, recommending her for this post.

What happened to the former president

Changing the head of state is not a spontaneous decision. A day earlier, President Tamas Szujok signed a constitutional amendment adopted by Magyar's Tisza party, which prematurely terminates his powers. This is part of the new prime minister's broader campaign to dismantle the power structures built by the country's former leader Viktor Orban — Magyar calls his April victory over him a convincing mandate from voters.

The Tisa party controls two-thirds of the seats in parliament — this is enough to change any laws, including the election of the head of state. The new president will serve until the adoption of a new constitution or for no longer than five years.

Who is Judit Polgar

For those who are far from chess: Polgar is not just a titled chess player, but a living legend who broke stereotypes about women’s chess. In 1988, together with her sisters Zsuzsa and Zsofia and teammate Ildiko Madl, she brought Hungary victory at the Chess Olympiad, breaking the long-term hegemony of the Soviet team.

Unlike most strong female chess players, Polgar played her entire career against men on equal terms — and remained in history the only woman to surpass 2700 FIDE rating points, a threshold that in the chess world is considered the unofficial limit of the “super grandmaster” level. For comparison: no other chess player has reached this milestone, either before or after her.

Netflix showed Polgar’s story in February 2026 — the documentary “Queen of Chess” reminded the world of her path to the elite of men’s chess.

What's next

Magyar promised to ask Polgar directly on Monday whether she is ready to take up the post. There is no official response from the chess player herself yet — she did not comment on the situation at the request of Reuters.

If Polgar agrees, the final word will remain with parliament: according to the law, deputies must elect the head of state within 30 days after the start of the procedure, and any citizen of the country over 35 years old, supported by at least a fifth of deputies, can nominate a candidate.

Sources : Reuters, Daily News Hungary

Xrust Hungary calls world chess champion for president