Lajos Portisch
Notable Games

Lajos Portisch

18 celebrated games · 1165 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 1165 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1961.06.24 Portisch, Lajos vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Pawn Center Variation 35 moves EU-chT 02nd Final Portisch beat six world champions in classical play; here he downs Mikhail Tal — the world champion of the year before — in a French Tarrasch at the 1961 European Team Championship.
  • 1964.05.24 Portisch, Lajos vsStein, Leonid 1-0 Benoni Defense: Hromádka System 38 moves Interzonal-06 A Benoni win over reigning Soviet champion Leonid Stein at the 1964 Amsterdam Interzonal, an early sign of Portisch's arrival among the world elite.
  • 1966.07.20 Portisch, Lajos vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Panno Variation, Donner Line 32 moves Piatigorsky-Cup 2nd Portisch outplays reigning world champion Tigran Petrosian in a King's Indian at the second Piatigorsky Cup in Santa Monica, one of the strongest tournaments of the era.
  • 1966.11.04 Portisch, Lajos vsJohannessen, Svein 1-0 Semi-Slav Defense: Meran Variation, Lundin Variation 25 moves Olympiad-17 Final A A crisp 25-move Semi-Slav Meran attack against Svein Johannessen at the 1966 Havana Olympiad.
  • 1967.05.26 Portisch, Lajos vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 Slav Defense: Exchange Variation 24 moves October Revolution 50years Portisch's most celebrated game: a 24-move mauling of reigning world champion Tigran Petrosian in a quiet Exchange Slav at Moscow 1967, the tournament marking the October Revolution's fiftieth anniversary.
  • 1967.06.08 Portisch, Lajos vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation, Fischer Variation 40 moves October Revolution 50years At that same Moscow 1967 event Portisch also defeated future world champion Boris Spassky in a Nimzo-Indian.
  • 1967.06.11 Portisch, Lajos vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Lesser Simagin (Spassky) 24 moves October Revolution 50years Completing a remarkable treble at Moscow 1967, Portisch beat former world champion Mikhail Tal in 24 moves — three world champions felled at a single tournament.
  • 1969.04.07 Portisch, Lajos vsBronstein, David Ionovich 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Austrian Defense, Gusev Countergambit 20 moves Monaco Grand Prix-03 GM David Bronstein overreaches in the opening and is punished in just 20 moves at the 1969 Monte Carlo tournament.
  • 1969 Portisch, Lajos vsRadulov, Ivan 1-0 English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Defense 35 moves Budapest A model English-Opening win over Ivan Radulov at Budapest, 1969.
  • 1972.01.13 Portisch, Lajos vsSmyslov, Vasily V 1-0 Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, with g3 41 moves Hoogovens A Réti squeeze that grinds down former world champion Vasily Smyslov at Wijk aan Zee, 1972.
  • 1972.11.30 Portisch, Lajos vsKarpov, Anatoly 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation 26 moves San Antonio Portisch beats the twenty-one-year-old future world champion Anatoly Karpov in a 26-move Nimzo-Indian at San Antonio, 1972.
  • 1972.05.31 Portisch, Lajos vsLarsen, Bent 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bernstein Defense 47 moves Las Palmas-01 A deep Nimzo-Indian win over his great rival Bent Larsen at Las Palmas, 1972.
  • 1973.08.12 Portisch, Lajos vsReshevsky, Samuel Herman 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind, Gurgenidze Variation 28 moves Interzonal-09b A Maróczy Bind win over veteran Samuel Reshevsky at the 1973 Petrópolis Interzonal.
  • 1989 Portisch, Lajos vsDe Firmian, Nick E 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 30 moves Reggio Emilia-A 8990 32nd A smooth 30-move Queen's Indian win over Nick de Firmian at Reggio Emilia 1989/90.
  • 1990.01 Anand, Viswanathan vsPortisch, Lajos 0-1 Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation 33 moves Hoogovens Playing Black, Portisch outplays the twenty-year-old future world champion Viswanathan Anand at Wijk aan Zee, 1990 — the sixth world champion on his list.
  • 1967.05.22 Keres, Paul vsPortisch, Lajos 0-1 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense 90 moves October Revolution 50years Moscow 1967 — a 90-move win with Black against Paul Keres. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 34 (PDF page 62).
  • 1974.01 Portisch, Lajos vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 Slav Defense 66 moves Candidates qf Petrosian-Portisch +3-2=8 Palma de Mallorca 1974, Candidates match game 12 — a 66-move win with White against Tigran V Petrosian. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 38 (PDF page 71).
  • 1977.03 Portisch, Lajos vsLarsen, Bent 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation 80 moves Candidates qf Portisch-Larsen +4-2=4 Rotterdam 1977, Candidates match game 4 — a 80-move win with White against Bent Larsen. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 42 (PDF page 81).
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