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Judit Polgar Declines Hungary’s Presidential Nomination

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Hungarian chess legend Judit Polgar has declined the nomination to become Hungary’s next president, a day after Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced his intention to nominate her for the largely ceremonial role. Polgar thanked the government for its confidence but said she did not feel capable of taking on the responsibility of uniting a divided nation.

The nomination came as part of the new government’s broader political reforms following Peter Magyar’s election victory, which ended the 16-year rule of Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party. Hungary is also preparing to draft a new constitution, and parliament is expected to elect an interim president until the new constitutional framework takes effect.

Widely regarded as the greatest female chess player in history, Polgar is the only woman to have been ranked among the world’s top 10 players and the only female player to surpass the prestigious 2700 Elo rating. Her decision keeps the search for Hungary’s next president open as lawmakers move ahead with the country’s political transition.

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Hans Niemann ‘likely cheated’ in more than 100 games

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An investigation found that a chess player at the centre of a cheating scandal “possibly” cheated in more than 100 online games.

Magnus Carlsen, the current world champion, has accused Hans Niemann of cheating, although no proof has been provided.

According to a Chess.com investigation, Niemann has probably cheated “far more often” than he has admitted.

However, it did not uncover any proof that he had cheated in his match with Carlsen or any other “over-the-board” games.

The American has admitted to cheating in casual games in his youth, but he disputes doing so in games that were intended to be competitive.

The BBC has contacted the 19-year-old for comment and he has already accused Carlsen and Chess.com of attempting to destroy his career.

The story started last month after Carlsen, who is widely regarded as the best player of all time, suffered a shocking loss to Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup.

Prior to publicly accusing Niemann of cheating last week, the Norwegian had already levelled subtle charges against him.

Now, Chess.com, where the majority of the world’s best players participate, including for cash prizes, has published a 72-page inquiry of Niemann’s games.

The website, which banned Niemann for alleged cheating, asserts that it is possible he committed fraud as recently as 2020, especially in prize money competitions and when competing against highly regarded “well recognised” figures in the game.

Niemann vigorously denied the allegations when they first surfaced earlier this month, stating he was prepared to play the game while unclothed to demonstrate that he wasn’t using any equipment to cheat.

“I don’t care, because I know I am clean. You want me to play in a closed box with zero electronic transmission, I don’t care. I’m here to win and that is my goal regardless.”

Niemann’s over-the-board games were statistically analysed by Prof. Kenneth Regan, who is widely considered as the world’s foremost authority on chess cheating, and no evidence of cheating was discovered.

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