Jewish chess trailblazer Judit Polgár tapped for Hungary's presidency

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced his intention to nominate chess grandmaster Judit Polgár as the country's next president. Magyar revealed his plan on social media platform X on Sunday, highlighting Polgár's "talent and perseverance."

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Judit Polgár's name has been synonymous with talent and perseverance for decades.

Polgár, a five-time Chess Olympiad champion and international grandmaster, is widely considered the greatest female chess player of all time. She held the women's world rankings for 26 consecutive years and notably broke into the absolute world top 10, competing primarily against men. Her career achievements include helping Hungary win the women's competition at the 1988 Chess Olympiad and defeating chess legend Garry Kasparov in 2022. In 2015, she received Hungary's highest state honor, the Order of Saint Stephen.

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The seventeenth amendment to the Constitution has marked a watershed in Hungary's constitutional democracy.

Magyar's proposal is part of a broader strategy to dismantle power structures built during the tenure of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Magyar, who secured a landslide victory in April's elections, stated that voters gave him a mandate for these changes. This political maneuver follows a recent constitutional amendment, signed by current President Tamás Sulyok, which ended the president's term immediately. Sulyok, however, expressed reservations, warning that the amendment weakened the rule of law and set a dangerous precedent, a sentiment echoed by Orbán, who declared, "Tyranny is no longer a threat but reality."

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Tyranny is no longer a threat but reality.