Jewish chess legend Judit Polgar declines offer to become Hungary’s president

Jewish chess legend Judit Polgar on Monday turned down Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s offer to join his push to break with the Viktor Orban era as the country’s president.

The pro-European conservative had nominated Polgar, widely considered the greatest woman to have taken to the checkered board, as a figure from outside politics to help carry out his promise of “regime change” from Orban’s hardline 16-year tenure.

“I do not feel I have the strength to take on the historic responsibility of uniting a divided nation, and so I am unable to accept the invitation,” Polgar posted on social media.

“I will do everything in my power to support a new, independent, and respected President of the Republic in achieving these goals,” she added.

After ejecting unpopular President Tamas Sulyok by constitutional amendment last week, Magyar backed Polgar late on Sunday as “a president of whom all Hungarians can be proud.”

“I regret her decision, but I respect it,” Magyar said on social media after Polgar’s announcement.

Polgar, who will turn 50 on Thursday, was born into a Hungarian Jewish family and played chess along with her sisters from a very young age. She was the top-ranked female chess player for 25 years before retiring in 2014, and commands widespread respect in Hungary.

But Magyar faced criticism for pushing ahead with her nomination on Sunday, a day after pledging a public consultation on the matter.

After her rejection was made public, the prime minister apologized for any “communication mistakes,” but insisted that his Tisza party “asked the Hungarian people for their recommendations.”

Who Magyar would seek to nominate next was not immediately clear.

Any choice of nominee would have had to be approved by parliament, which elects the president in Hungary’s political system.

In the wake of Polgar’s rejection, Magyar said that his party “is expected to meet several more times this week” and would “make a responsible decision on whom we consider best suited to become Hungary’s next president.”

Had Polgar accepted, she would have enjoyed the unanimous backing of Magyar’s Tisza party, which commands a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Polgar remains the only woman to have reached the chess world’s overall top 10, or to have qualified for the Candidates Tournament whose winner advances to a duel for the World Championship.

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.”

In February, “Queen of Chess,” a documentary about Polgar, was released on Netflix.

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 16 prominent Hungarians, including the inventor of the Rubik’s Cube, Erno Rubik.

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.”