Seoul Gazette - Hungary PM proposes chess great Judit Polgar for president

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.

N.Son--SG