Lajos Portisch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lajos Portisch |
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Lajos Portisch in 1968
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| Country | Hungary |
| Born | 4 April 1937 Zalaegerszeg, Kingdom of Hungary |
| Title | Grandmaster (1961) |
| FIDE rating | 2467 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2655 (January 1980) |
| Peak ranking | No. 2 (January 1981) |
Lajos Portisch (born April 4, 1937) is a famous Hungarian chess Grandmaster. He was known for his strong, steady playing style, which earned him the nickname "the Hungarian Botvinnik" (after a famous Soviet chess champion).
From the early 1960s to the late 1980s, Lajos Portisch was one of the best non-Soviet chess players in the world. He played in many important tournaments and championships. He even set several records in the Chess Olympiads, which are like the Olympics for chess. He also won the Hungarian Chess Championship eight times.
Besides chess, Lajos Portisch enjoys singing opera. He has a great baritone voice, just like another famous chess player, Vasily Smyslov. His younger brother, Ferenc, is also a chess player and an International Master.
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Early Years in Chess
Lajos Portisch started playing chess at a young age. He represented Hungary at the World Junior Chess Championship in 1955. He did well, finishing fourth in the final round.
In 1956, he tied for first place in a master event in Budapest. He also played for Hungary in team matches against other countries. In 1956, he played in his first Student Olympiad and his first full Chess Olympiad for Hungary. He would go on to play in a record twenty Olympiads!
In 1958, he won his first big international event in Balatonfüred, Hungary. This win helped him earn the title of International Master.
Hungarian Chess Champion
Lajos Portisch first played in the Hungarian Chess Championship when he was 18 years old in 1955. He became one of the most successful players in Hungarian chess history. He won or shared the national title nine times!
Here are some of his wins:
- 1958: Shared first place and won the playoff.
- 1959: Shared first place.
- 1961: Shared first place and won the playoff.
- 1962: Won the championship.
- 1964: Won the championship.
- 1965: Won the championship.
- 1971: Won the championship.
- 1975: Won the championship.
- 1981: Shared first place.
World Chess Championship Journeys
Lajos Portisch was a strong contender for the World Chess Championship title for many years. He played in every Interzonal tournament from 1962 to 1993, which is a total of twelve times! These tournaments are a big step towards becoming the World Champion.
He qualified for the next stage, called the Candidates Tournament, eight times. This is where the top players compete to challenge the current World Champion. His best results were reaching the semi-finals in 1977 and 1980.
Here are some highlights of his World Championship journey:
- In 1961, he earned the highest chess title: Grandmaster.
- In 1964, he qualified for the Candidates' series for the first time. He played a match against Mikhail Tal, a former World Champion, but lost.
- In 1967, he qualified again for the Candidates' matches but lost to Bent Larsen.
- In 1973, he qualified from the Petropolis Interzonal. He then lost his first match to Tigran Petrosian, another former World Champion.
- In 1976, he reached the Candidates' semi-finals after beating Bent Larsen. However, he then lost to Boris Spassky.
- In 1979, he qualified again and got his revenge against Spassky in 1980, winning their match. He then lost in the semi-finals to Robert Hübner.
- He continued to play in these tough tournaments, showing his amazing skill and determination for many years.
Amazing Tournament Wins
Lajos Portisch was very active in international chess tournaments for over 30 years. He was one of the best players, often finishing ahead of top Soviet Grandmasters. He was known for his steady play and rarely had a losing score in tournaments. He won at least one major international event almost every year for nearly two decades!
Here are some of his notable tournament victories:
- 1962: Shared first place at Sarajevo.
- 1963: Won the IBM tournament in Amsterdam.
- 1963: Won again at Sarajevo.
- 1965: Shared first place at Beverwijk.
- 1967: Won the IBM tournament in Amsterdam.
- 1968: Won clearly at Skopje/Ohrid, a big achievement.
- 1969: Had a very successful year, winning the IBM tournament in Amsterdam and sharing first place at Monte Carlo.
- 1969-1970: Won the famous Hastings tournament.
- 1970-1971: Won Hastings again.
- 1972: Won the Wijk aan Zee tournament, which had many top players.
- 1972: Won at Las Palmas.
- 1972: Shared first place at San Antonio with future World Champion Anatoly Karpov and former World Champion Tigran Petrosian.
- 1973: Won the Vidmar Memorial tournament.
- 1975: Won at Wijk aan Zee again.
- 1978: Won the Interpolis Tournament in the Netherlands.
Team Chess Achievements
Lajos Portisch was a key player for the Hungarian national chess team. He played in four Student Olympiads, winning three medals for his team.
He also led the Hungarian team to a gold medal at the 23rd Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires in 1978. This was a huge victory because it was the only Olympiad between 1952 and 1990 that the powerful Soviet Union team did not win (except for 1976 when they boycotted).
Portisch holds a record for participating in 20 Olympiads from 1956 to 2000! He played a record 260 games over six decades and won 11 medals.
He also represented Hungary in eight European Team Championships, winning nine medals there. In 1985, he played for Hungary at the first World Team Chess Championship, where his team won silver medals.
Personal Life
Lajos Portisch is a devoted Catholic.
Images for kids
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Portisch in 2005
See also
In Spanish: Lajos Portisch para niños
