Hungarian chess prodigy Judit Polgar. Photo: ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has nominated Jewish Hungarian chess prodigy and grandmaster Judit Polgar to serve as interim president, he announced on Sunday.

Magyar made the nomination after President Tamas Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment into law on Saturday to end his term as head of state. The prime minister wrote in a Facebook post that the greatest female chess player of all-time “has been synonymous with talent and perseverance for decades.”

Polgar’s fame “is not due to her political affiliation or connections, but to her exceptional talent, diligence, exemplary burden-bearing, and integrity,” he noted, before saying it would be a “”huge honor” if she accepted his invitation to become the next president of Hungary.

“Our country needs unity, peace and a president whom every Hungarian can be proud of,” he added. “The presidency is not a job, not a workplace, but the highest service. The president’s task is to serve and represent every Hungarian.”

Magyar said he would meet with Polgar, 49, on Monday and ask her to be Hungary’s interim president. She has not publicly commentated on the nomination. Parliament will elect a new president who will be in office until a new constitution takes effect or for a maximum of five years.

Magyar defeated long-time Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in an April election landslide and had repeatedly called on Sulyok to resign, in an effort to remove from government officials appointed during Orbán’s presidency. When Sulyok refused initially to resign, lawmakers within Magyar’s Tisza party passed a constitutional amendment that called for an immediate termination of his presidency. Sulyok had five days to sign the amendment into law, which he did on the final day before the deadline. Magyar’s Tisza party has a two-thirds majority in Parliament, allowing it to change any laws.

Polgar won the 1988 Chess Olympiad for Hungary’s national female team along with her sisters Susan and Sofia, and Ildiko Madl. Polgar became one of the top players in a male-dominated sport and is the only woman to achieve a rating past 2700, which gives her the “Super GM” distinction, according to Chess.com. A documentary about Polgar titled “Queen of Chess” was released on Netflix in February.