Chess hero Judit Polgar could shatter another glass ceiling as Hungary president | Chess News

4 min readJul 20, 2026 07:00 AM Chess legend Judit Polgar is in line to become the next Hungarian president. The country’s prime miner Peter Magyar said that he would meet her on Monday to ask her if she was willing to accept the position after she was nominated for the presidency “respected figures in Hungarian public life”. Magyar said that he wanted Polgar to stay in the role until the adoption of the new Hungarian Constitution.
Polgar is the undisputed greatest female player in chess hory. Over a storied career, she regularly challenged preconceived notions of what female chess players could do playing in open tournaments with men. She shattered chess’ glass ceiling back in the 1990s and the early 2000s breaking into the top 10 ranks. She broke not only Bob Fischer’s record as the youngest grandmaster in chess hory, but also beat 11 world champions, including Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand, over the board.  
Besides her exploits in individual chess, Polgar is also a five-time Chess Olympiad champion, and a recipient of the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen. Her story was recently recreated in the documentary The Queen of Chess.  
If Polgar accepts Magyar’s offer, she would replace Tamas Sulyok in the largely ceremonial position. Sulyok’s term as president ended after a ​constitutional amendment was passed Magyar’s ruling Tisza party.
“Our country needs unity, peace, and a president of whom every Hungarian can be proud. The presidency of the republic is not merely a job or a place of employment, but the highest form of service. The president’s task is to serve and to represent—every single Hungarian.
 
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“Judit Polgár—nominated today for the presidency respected figures in Hungarian public life—is just such a person,” Magyar wrote in a Facebook post. Story continues below this ad
“For decades, Judit Polgár’s name has been synonymous with talent and perseverance. As the most successful female player in the hory of chess, she topped the women’s world rankings uninterrupted for 26 years, while also breaking into the top ten of the absolute world rankings,” added Magyar. “Judit Polgár’s career has always been defined achievement. The acclaim she enjoys stems not from political affiliations or connections, but from her exceptional talent, diligence, unparalleled capacity for hard work, and integrity. She is a Hungarian whose achievements command respect and recognition both at home and across the globe. Personally, I would consider it a tremendous honour if she were to accept this invitation.”
 
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In an interview with The Indian Express in March this year, Polgar had said that the ‘next Judit Polgar’ is likely to come from India. 
Her sers Susan and Sofia were also elite chess players who were shaped a radical experiment their father Laszlo, who believed that geniuses can be moulded rather than them being born. To prove his hypothesis, he defied the norms in Commun Hungary to home-school his three daughters instead of sending them to government school. At home, the three girls were taught chess for hours at a stretch as many as three chess trainers who would come in shifts. 
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If she accepts Magyar’s proposal, she is likely to break another glass ceiling becoming probably the only female chess player to hold the top office in her country.