Notable Games
Lajos Portisch
15 celebrated games · 1165 in the full archive
◈The games that made the legend
Portisch – Tal · 1961 · 1–0
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.
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Portisch – Stein · 1964 · 1–0
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.
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Portisch – Petrosian · 1966 · 1–0
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.
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Portisch – Johannessen · 1966 · 1–0
A crisp 25-move Semi-Slav Meran attack against Svein Johannessen at the 1966 Havana Olympiad.
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Portisch – Petrosian · 1967 · 1–0
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.
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Portisch – Spassky · 1967 · 1–0
At that same Moscow 1967 event Portisch also defeated future world champion Boris Spassky in a Nimzo-Indian.
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Portisch – Tal · 1967 · 1–0
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.
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Portisch – Bronstein · 1969 · 1–0
David Bronstein overreaches in the opening and is punished in just 20 moves at the 1969 Monte Carlo tournament.
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Portisch – Radulov · 1969 · 1–0
A model English-Opening win over Ivan Radulov at Budapest, 1969.
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Portisch – Smyslov · 1972 · 1–0
A Réti squeeze that grinds down former world champion Vasily Smyslov at Wijk aan Zee, 1972.
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Portisch – Karpov · 1972 · 1–0
Portisch beats the twenty-one-year-old future world champion Anatoly Karpov in a 26-move Nimzo-Indian at San Antonio, 1972.
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Portisch – Larsen · 1972 · 1–0
A deep Nimzo-Indian win over his great rival Bent Larsen at Las Palmas, 1972.
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Portisch – Reshevsky · 1973 · 1–0
A Maróczy Bind win over veteran Samuel Reshevsky at the 1973 Petrópolis Interzonal.
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Portisch – De Firmian · 1989 · 1–0
A smooth 30-move Queen's Indian win over Nick de Firmian at Reggio Emilia 1989/90.
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Anand – Portisch · 1990 · 0–1
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.
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