Chess Champion Judit Polgar Takes on Belgium’s Prime Minister at Royal Library Tournament

Judit Polgar arrived at Brussels’ Royal Library expecting a familiar kind of opponent: a political leader who enjoys chess but faces a world-class player across the board. At the fourth Chess & Mates Festival on Saturday evening, the Hungarian champion played 20 Belgian players simultaneously, including Prime Minister Bart De Wever.

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Bart De Wever is not the first leader I have played against. I hope this will not sound arrogant, but I think I will beat him too.

Polgar, the first woman to reach the top 10 of the International Chess Federation rankings, had defeated Hungary’s Prime Minister Peter Magyar several months earlier. Before the Brussels match, she said De Wever was not the first leader she had played and predicted that she would beat him too. Her prediction came true, as the Belgian prime minister lost his game against her.

De Wever has played chess since he was young. He had practiced during the flight that brought him back from India, using a computer chess game on board. “There was a computer chess game on board. I thought: if I can beat the computer, I have a small chance. But the result was disappointing,” he said before paraphrasing the Roman gladiators with the words, “Morituri te salutant”.

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I found it very good to hear that the prime minister has played since he was young. It shows how popular chess is. It is a game for everyone, young or old, rich or poor.

Polgar said De Wever’s long-standing interest showed how widely the game reaches. “It shows how popular chess is. It is a game for everyone, young or old, rich or poor,” she said.

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There was a computer chess game on board. I thought: if I can beat the computer, I have a small chance. But the result was disappointing.