Biography

Hungarian Grandmaster (1961), one of the world’s best players in the 1970s. An extremely hard-working, modest, talented and a first class sportsman. In 2004, Portisch was awarded the 'Nemzet Sportoloja', Hungary's highest national sports achievement award.

Portisch learned to play chess at an early age, the game being played often in his family. Lajos steadily progressed over the years. He first made a name for himself in 1958 when he won the Hungarian championship and a tournament at Balatonfured. He has been a Candidate eight times although he has never become the official challenger. Portisch was Hungarian Champion nine times during 1958-81 and a member of twenty Hungarian Olympiad teams where in total he won 11 medals.

Apart from national championships and interzonals, he played in about 75 strong tournaments from 1958 to 1990, winning or sharing 20 first prizes, the best being: Balatonfured 1958, San Benetto del Tronto 1960, Sarajevo 1962 and 1963, Kecskemet 1962, Amsterdam 1963, Beverwijk 1965, equal with Efim Geller; Skopje-Ohrid 1968, ahead of Efim Geller and Lev Polugaevsky; Monte Carlo 1969, equal with Smyslov; Amsterdam 1969; Hastings 1969-1970 and 1970-1971, Adelaide 1971, Wijk aan Zee and Las Palmas 1972; San Antonio 1972, equal with Anatoly Karpov and Tigran Petrosian, Ljubljana 1973 Wijk aan Zee 1975; Wijk aan Zee 1978, ahead of Korchnoi; Tilburg 1978, ahead of Robert Hubner; Toluca izt 1982, Reggio Emilia 1984-85; Portoroz 1985, equal with Tony Miles and Zoltan Ribli; and Sarajevo 1986, equal with Kir. Georgiev and Lev Psakhis, Cannes 1992.

Best ELO 2655 in 1980.

Unfortunately his games have not become widely appreciated; his positional style, characterized by quiet maneuvering – he has been called the Hungarian Petrosyan – is effective but unspectacular.

Korchnoi vs. Portisch, Brussels OHRA 1986