CHESS PLAYERS from Hungary

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Hungarian Chess Players of all time. This list of famous Hungarian Chess Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Hungarian Chess Players.

1. Judit Polgár (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 61.07, Judit Polgár is the most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  Her biography has been translated into 64 different languages on wikipedia.

Judit Polgár (born 23 July 1976) is a Hungarian chess grandmaster, widely regarded as the strongest female chess player of all time. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, at the time the youngest to have done so, breaking the record previously held by former world champion Bobby Fischer. She was the youngest player ever to break into the FIDE top 100 players rating list, ranking No. 55 in the January 1989 rating list, at the age of 12. Polgár is the only woman to have been a serious candidate for the World Chess Championship, in which she participated in 2005; she had previously participated in large, 100-player-plus knockout tournaments for the world championship. She is also the only woman to have surpassed 2700 Elo, reaching a peak world ranking of No. 8 in 2004 and peak rating of 2735 in 2005. She is the only woman to be ranked in the top ten of all chess players, first reaching that ranking in 1996. She was the No. 1 rated woman in the world from January 1989 until her retirement on 13 August 2014. She has won or shared first in the chess tournaments of Hastings 1993, Madrid 1994, León 1996, U.S. Open 1998, Hoogeveen 1999, Sigeman & Co 2000, Japfa 2000, and the Najdorf Memorial 2000. Polgár is the only woman to have won a game against a reigning world number one player, and has defeated eleven current or former world champions in either rapid or classical chess: Magnus Carlsen, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Spassky, Vasily Smyslov, Veselin Topalov, Viswanathan Anand, Ruslan Ponomariov, Alexander Khalifman, and Rustam Kasimdzhanov. On 13 August 2014, she announced her retirement from competitive chess. In June 2015, Polgár was elected as the new captain and head coach of the Hungarian national men's team. On 20 August 2015, she received Hungary's highest decoration, the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary. In 2021, Polgár was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. In September 2024, Judit Polgar was awarded the FIDE100 Award as the best female player, recognized as the world’s top chess competitor in her time. The award is given to a player who has contributed to the development of chess both through play and promotion of the game, who has set a good example to other players and, preferably, who has gained recognition beyond the chess world.

2. László Szabó (1917 - 1998)

With an HPI of 56.33, László Szabó is the 2nd most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

László Szabó ([ˈsɒboː ˈlaːsloː] March 19, 1917 – August 8, 1998) was a Hungarian chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grandmaster in 1950, when it was instituted by FIDE.

3. Lajos Portisch (b. 1937)

With an HPI of 55.16, Lajos Portisch is the 3rd most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Lajos Portisch (born 4 April 1937) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik". One of the strongest non-Soviet players from the early 1960s into the late 1980s, he participated in twelve consecutive Interzonals from 1962 through 1993, qualifying for the World Chess Championship Candidates Cycle a total of eight times (1965, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1985, and 1988). Portisch set several all-time records in Chess Olympiads. In Hungarian Chess Championships, he either shared the title or won it outright a total of eight times (1958, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1975, and 1981). He won many strong international tournaments during his career. In 2004, Portisch was awarded the title of 'Nemzet Sportolója' (Sportsman of the Nation), Hungary's highest national sports achievement award. His main hobby is singing operatic arias; he has a fine baritone voice, a quality shared by Vasily Smyslov, a chess world champion and grandmaster who also had talent as an operatic singer. His younger brother, Ferenc (born 1939), is an International Master.

4. Géza Maróczy (1870 - 1951)

With an HPI of 54.55, Géza Maróczy is the 4th most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Géza Maróczy (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈmɒroːt͡si ˈɡeːzɒ]; 3 March 1870 – 29 May 1951) was a Hungarian chess player, one of the leading players in the world in his time. He was one of the inaugural recipients of the International Grandmaster title from FIDE in 1950.

5. Isidor Gunsberg (1854 - 1930)

With an HPI of 52.00, Isidor Gunsberg is the 5th most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Isidor Arthur Gunsberg (also spelled Günzberg, Hungarian: Gunsberg Artúr Izidor; 1 November 1854 – 2 May 1930) was a Hungarian chess player, best known for narrowly losing the 1891 World Chess Championship match to Wilhelm Steinitz.

6. András Adorján (1950 - 2023)

With an HPI of 49.81, András Adorján is the 6th most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

András Adorján (born András Jocha; 31 March 1950 – 11 May 2023) was a Hungarian Chess Grandmaster (1973) and author. He adopted his mother's maiden name, Adorján, in 1968.

7. Gedeon Barcza (1911 - 1986)

With an HPI of 48.18, Gedeon Barcza is the 7th most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Gedeon Barcza (August 21, 1911 – February 27, 1986) was a Hungarian chess grandmaster. He was eight-time chess champion of Hungary.

8. István Csom (1940 - 2021)

With an HPI of 47.76, István Csom is the 8th most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

István Csom (2 June 1940 – 28 July 2021) was a Hungarian chess player who held the FIDE titles of Grandmaster and International Arbiter. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1967 and the Grandmaster title in 1973. He was Hungarian Champion in 1972 and 1973 (jointly). His tournament victories include Olot 1973, Cleveland 1975, Olot 1975, Pula Zonal 1975, Berlin 1979, Copenhagen 1983, Järvenpää 1985 and Delhi 1987. Csom was born in Sátoraljaújhely, Hungary. He played for the Hungarian team in seven Chess Olympiads (1968–1974, 1978–1982, 1986–1988), including the victorious team of 1978. Over the course of his career, Csom defeated many top Grandmasters, including Ulf Andersson, Boris Gulko, Tony Miles, Lajos Portisch, Samuel Reshevsky, Nigel Short, former World Champion Mikhail Tal, Rafael Vaganian, and Artur Yusupov.

9. István Bilek (1932 - 2010)

With an HPI of 47.63, István Bilek is the 9th most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

István Bilek (11 August 1932 – 20 March 2010) was a Hungarian chess grandmaster. He was a three-time Hungarian Chess Champion.

10. Levente Lengyel (1933 - 2014)

With an HPI of 46.73, Levente Lengyel is the 10th most famous Hungarian Chess Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Levente Lengyel (13 June 1933 – 18 August 2014) was a Hungarian chess player, who gained the Grandmaster title in 1964.