The greatest living Hungarian chess players who still reign over the board

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For decades, Hungary has been a chess powerhouse, with players known for incorporating calculation with creativity and intellect with intuition.

The country has produced champions, such as László Szabó and Gyula Breyer, figures who reshaped chess as a game of tactical aggression and a field for challenging traditional gameplay fundamentals.

These masters have passed, but their legacy lives on and inspires new generations of chess masters—champions who continue to bring gambits and checkmates into the modern era of digital analyses and live-streamed matches.

Who are the greatest Hungarian chess players currently active in the game?

Below, we list five of the greatest Hungarian chess players still alive who are testaments to the country’s unrelenting acumen on the 64-square board.

Judit Polgár—The Real-life Queen’s Gambit

At the tender age of 15, Judit Polgar earned the title of Grandmaster at the Hungarian National Championship in December 1991. She became the youngest grandmaster in history, surpassing Bobby Fischer’s 33-year record.

Even in retirement, Judit Polgar continues to embody the golden standards of chess prowess. She didn’t just face notable male players—think Carlsen, Kasparov, and Anand—on her chess journey.

She defeated them, proving that brilliance has no gender. In a way, this principle mirrors the strength and power of the queen on the chessboard.

Judit Polgár is regarded as the strongest female chess player of all time. At the peak of her career, she employed an aggressive, tactical playstyle and thrived in open battles and searching for electrifying checkmates.

Susan Polgár—The Ambassador of the Game

Way before Judit Polgár became the queen of the chessboard, her older sister, Susan Polgár, made waves that broke the decades-long gender barriers in the sport.

At age 17, Susan became the top-rated female chess player in the world. While she missed qualifying for the Zonal, which is the first step for the 1986 Men’s World Championship cycle, her near-win solidified the place of women in chess.

In contrast to her sister’s more aggressive approach, Susan’s play style is more cool-headed and deeply strategic. Her games often feel like beautifully composed puzzles, with every piece serving a purpose.

While she has retired from the competitive chess scene, Susan Polgár remains one of the most respected figures in the global chess community.

She has devoted decades of her chess mastery to coaching aspiring chess masters and running the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) at Webster University.

Her legacy of celebrating mental agility is mirrored by gaming sites like Peryagame, an online platform that honors strategic play and critical thinking—except with Filipino carnival games instead of pawns and rooks.

Péter Lékó—The Calm and Composed Contender

A child prodigy who first held a chessboard at age seven, Péter Lékó competed in several age categories in the World Youth Chess Championship, most notably in the U10 in 1989, the U12 in 1990, and the U14 in 1992.

Among his greatest feats is becoming a Grandmaster at age 14, surpassing Judit Polgár as the youngest player to earn the title in 1994.

In 2004, he reached the World Championship Final, where he narrowly missed besting Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik. He has a FIDE rating of 2763, and, at the crux of his career, he was ranked no. 4 in the world.

Péter Lékó is known for playing with precision and composure. His approach is almost scientific; he is a positional player who builds on slow but tactical pressure that crumbles his opponents.

Juxtapose him with Judit Polgár, who is known for fiery moves, and you get a contrastingly beautiful dance between ice and fire on the board.

Lékó’s “slow burn” method embodies consistency and calculated cunning—and these qualities established him as one of the most respected figures in competitive chess.

And while he has retired from the limelight, he continues to devote himself to chess through mentoring younger players and commentating at major events.

Richard Rapport — The Artist and Maverick of Modern Chess

In today’s age, computer chess programs and memorized openings and gambit sequences make modern games feel soulless and robotic. 

But despite the caveats of the digital revolution, Richard Rapport refuses to play by the rules of modernity. He is widely regarded as Hungary’s most creative grandmaster, notable for his unpredictable and unorthodox play style.

Many professional players open their game with either the Queen’s Gambit, the Sicilian, or the Ruy Lopez positions—openings that are arguably the most popular in the chess community.

For Rapport, he begins with unusual openings, such as the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, more commonly known as Larsen’s Opening. He is also known for playing aggressively with both the white and black sides, making him one of the most exciting players to watch.

Richard Rapport became a grandmaster at the age of 13 in 2010, becoming the youngest ever Hungarian chess player to garner the title. He has a peak FIDE rating of 2776; in May 2024, he switched back to representing Hungary in international tournaments.

Zoltán Almási — The Silent Warrior

If the saying “lions move in silence” were personified, it would take the form of Grandmaster Zoltán Almási. His name might not be as flashy as Rapport’s or the Polgár sisters’, but his quiet strength is a pillar of Hungary’s chess heritage.

Almási represented Hungary in 13 consecutive Chess Olympiads, bagging two team silver medals and one individual silver medal.

A testament to his genius is his nine-time victory at the Hungarian Chess Championship, solidifying his position as one of the greatest Hungarian chess players in the world.

Like Rapport, Almási is one of the few grandmasters to play dubious and unconventional openings, most notably the Berlin Defence.

Despite the unconventionality, Zoltán Almási’s playstyle is a culmination of his defensive strength, endgame precision, and profound opening preparation. With that, he might be a silent warrior, but he will remain a cornerstone of Hungarian chess.

The Living Chess Legacy of Hungary

These five living Hungarian chess legends have a common denominator: relentless cunning paired with a love for the timeless game.

Their unique qualities contribute to Hungary’s symphony of strategy: Judit’s fierce tactics, Susan’s educational mission, Lékó’s precision, Rapport’s artistry, and Almási’s reliability.

The chessboard may be the same 64 squares, but these masters prove that imagination trumps memory on any given day—and that Hungary’s chess tradition is living, breathing, and still thinking five moves ahead. 

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