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Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on July 19 that he intends to ask Judit Polgar, widely regarded as the greatest female chess player of all time, to become the country's next president.
In a Facebook post, Magyar said the 49-year-old Polgar could serve as a symbol of national unity. He added that he would meet with her on July 20 to ask whether she is willing to accept the nomination.
Earlier, Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment passed by Magyar's ruling Tisza party that brings his term as head of state to an end after sustained political pressure.
The amendment forms part of Magyar's broader effort to dismantle the institutional power base built by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Magyar has said voters gave him a mandate to pursue those reforms after his party's landslide victory in April.
Parliament, where Magyar's Tisza party holds the two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments, will elect a new president, who will serve until a new constitution takes effect or for a maximum of five years.
Polgar is widely regarded as the greatest female chess player in history. She remains the only woman to have surpassed the 2700 Elo rating mark, a level commonly associated with "super-grandmasters."
Earlier this year, Netflix released the documentary Queen of Chess, chronicling Polgar's life and career.