Hungarian chess player Judit Polgar said on Monday that she rejected Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s offer to run for president of the country.
Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok said on July 18 that he had signed an amendment passed by parliament that would remove him from office. Magyar announced that Parliament speaker Agnes Forsthoffer would serve as acting president from July 20 until the election of a new president, which would take place within 30 days . Magyar said that he would offer the presidency to renowned chess player Polgar.
“I do not feel strong enough to take on the historical responsibility of uniting a divided nation, so I cannot accept this offer,” Polgar said on her social media.
Polgar is a Hungarian chess player, international grandmaster, and the strongest female chess player in history. She led the world women’s rankings for 26 years and became the only woman to reach the top ten of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) overall rankings.