HoF #48: Portisch–"The Hungarian Botvinnik"
This blog is a celebration that leverages an outstanding concept of GMs Nielsen and Gustafsson (both of whom are also popular chessable.com authors) but offers my unique take. The two GMs produced videos and multiple lessons regarding their top 50 chess players of all time. Although I provide a link to their work below, my focus is a bit different, though I freely accept their rankings.
How does my work differ? Well, first of all, I'm not a titled player. Second, rather than videos and puzzles, I offer: brief biographies of each player; limited discussion and pictures of some of their works if they wrote anything memorable; and quick takes from those who proved to be eminently quotable. Third, well, I also may have found occasion to add quotes from other famous chess names regarding certain individuals and perhaps even the occasional caricature😏. Fourth and last, to the extent possible, I will include two games analyzed by the individual. After all, the greatest of the great should be able to explain what they were thinking during a game, shouldn't they?
This is week number three—only 47 to go! I hope you enjoy my alternative, much shorter takes. Certainly, I enjoin you to visit the work of GMs Nielsen and Gustafsson (chess.com and chessable.com).
Table of Contents
Biography
chess.com Hall of Fame #48: Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch, 4 April 1937, is a Hungarian GM nicknamed “the Hungarian Botvinnik.” He earned that nickname because of parallels between his and Botvinnik's positional style. Portisch won or shared the title of Hungarian CC nine times, competed in eight Candidates cycles, and holds the record for the most Olympiad appearances with twenty, one more than WGM Voiska, born 3 April. He also served as Karpov’s second in the 1990 K-K World CC match.
FIDE lists his peak rating at 2655 in January 1980 and a year later placed him at #2 globally. I found no FIDE-rated games for him after June 2014, leaving him with a final rating of 2467. ChessMetrics suggests that his peak rating was 2757 in December 1980, significantly higher than the ELO system which has changed over time. Makes sense to me!
In 2004, Portisch received Hungary’s Sportsman of the Nation title, that nation’s highest national sports achievement award. At the time he was only the twelfth individual to receive that honor.
Like Smyslov, Portisch was a fine singer whose main hobby was singing operatic arias.
Portisch wrote several books and his book on the Ruy Lopez both clearly elucidated his thinking and offered theoretical novelties for the consideration of those who purchased his book. More importantly, he explained key ideas behind the lines. This masterpiece on the Ruy Lopez included games by Carlsen and Anand, and offered anecdotes about Fischer, Karpov, Tal, Larsen, Spassky, and Timman.
Throughout his career he had a passion for analysis, so it is no surprise to see that he contributed to two books that were, at the time, novelties for the sheer number of top-flight GMs who contributed. Both How to Open a Chess Game and Second Piatigorsky Cup were well-received and offered keen insights from the players themselves. I remember reading them avidly.
Finally, Portisch found time to collaborate on a first-rate endings book of actual practical value!
If I still had some of the books pictured above, I would have offered more quotable quotes. As it is, I'm stuck with a paltry few.
Your only task in the opening is to reach a playable middlegame. Quotes about Chess Middlegames
To all players I can recommend the following: simplicity and economy. These are the characteristics of the opening systems of many great masters... A solid opening repertoire fosters self-confidence.
We liked chess, and I never played for the sake of a prize. I have always played for the satisfaction from the game itself and competition. [ChessBase, Albert Silver, 2/1/2012]
The theory of openings is inexhaustible, since it is constantly being developed and extended, and new analyses may well invalidate established theory. Endgame theory has a more permanent value, particularly the rules and principles concerning elementary positions. These may be considered as being exhaustive. [Six Hundred Endings, Preface, the authors]
And now, let's hear a few comments from the other side!
Simply put, Lajos is a sportsman, whose every game is a masterpiece. He is very friendly, which is why he is among the most popular participants. [attributed to Max Euwe, ChessBase, Albert Silver, 2/2/2012]
The great chess talents usually play a combinative, attacking style in their youth and settle down only later. Portisch, like Botvinnik, is one of the rare exceptions. He is a born strategist. [Egon Varnusz in the Preface to Selected Games of Lajos Portish, Arco Publishing, 1979]
An opening repertoire refined with infinite care, a correct, energetic control of the game, a merciless punishment of the opponent’s mistakes, and a precise technique in endgames: this is our Portisch! [Ibid]
Given these are fifty of the greatest players of all time, how were they as annotators? Well, for those who wrote books we could truly explore that question in depth. But to keep the playing field even, I am only including a game or two taken from a DB or website. If such are available, as I've already discovered several left few traces of their thinking. Besides, I didn't want to burden myself with transcribing comments from a book into a pgn file. Or increase my debt burden by buying books of those who did not yet offer free access to books released to the public domain. Besides, it is far easier and faster to look for annotated games in an online database.
Below we can ponder two games that Portisch lightly analyzed that can be found in many databases. But there are no insights provided in plain language, just annotation symbols. Sigh. "You pay your money for my books, then I'll share my secret thoughts with you," is the message I took away.
Since Portisch didn't provide commentary, I'll throw in a few judicious comments prior to both games.
Szabo, Laszlo - Portisch, Lajos, HUN-ch16 playoff, Hungary, 1961
White made a risky pawn sacrifice on move seventeen rather than restoring the material balance by capturing the loose pawn with 17. Rxb7. At that point the white rook would have found itself in pleasant surroundings, on the seventh rank and with no chance of being trapped. Rather than restore the balance White chose to focus on piece activity and Black's weak, isolated queen pawn as compensation. Objectively fine, but Black's defense was not particularly arduous and "pawn is pawn." Eventually White sought refuge in complications, pushing their kingside pawns in an attempt to fish out the black king. But when White pushed their pawn to f6 on move 28 to restrict the black bishop, they also diminished the opportunity to crack open the protective vault surrounding the black king. Eventually Black developed a queenside initiative that was transformed into a kingside initiative, all while retaining that extra pawn. With some superlative tactical maneuvers Black gradually steered the ship of state home and White laid down their arms.
A fascinating game. Objectively White was losing for many, many moves. But securing the full point required grandmaster skills.
Portisch, Lajos, - Szabo, Laszlo, HUN-ch16 playoff, Hungary, 1961
Black took their queen on an excursion to the queenside seeking play against the white pawns. Indeed, after 21...Ndc5, Black is threatening to bring a rook to a3 and snap off the b-pawn. But White has the nice intermezzo, retreating move (those are always hard to see) 22. Bd2! that threatens to trap the black queen with a subsequent 23. Nb5. That forces a hasty retreat of Her Majesty and from there White is able to push Black's pieces back. In disarray, Black continues to make small errors and miss chances to resurrect their position. Meanwhile, White slowly improves the placement of their pieces until Black cracks under the accumulating pressure and White is able to win material.
Well, I know I've been guilty of the following. Black retreated more wildly than necessary once their initial thrust was thwarted. The errors accumulated until the camel's back finally broke. Black resigned once White was winning decisive amounts of material.
The whole purpose of this section is to address some obvious questions that might pop into your head. How come Kevin didn't talk about this? Or that? Not to mention the other thing! Well, just call me lazy! Or you could appreciate the fact I'm limiting the word count imposed on you😏. Nonetheless, in the series I'll be using this little section to provide links to more fulsome discussions that revolve around some well-known and lesser-known facets of the featured chess giant. That will range from videos to links to other chess.com blogs, usually by Top Bloggers. Enjoy or skip, it's your call, as always.
IM Andras Toth analyzes a brilliant Portisch effort, one that involves a thematic Bishop sacrifice on h7, but the surprises come with the moves preceding that and how the attack culminates...on the queenside!
Below you'll find a link to a video by GM Ben Finegold that discusses several great Hungarian players who played only in the 20th century. I find Ben provides a delightful mix of the hilarious and thoughtful. Ben chose not to emphasize Peter Leko and Judit Polgar because they continued playing well into the 21st century. Instead, he kicks things off with Lajos Portisch, clearly a superstar. Several other Hungarian players also receive time in Ben's video, but Ben ranked Portisch ahead of those other players.
NOTE: Normally I never have a problem getting a link to open in another tab. That is not working for the link below, presumably because it is a sponsored link. Annoying. Anyhow, please remember that you can click the return arrow at the top left of your top menu bar to return to chess.com at any time. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Hungarian Grandmasters in the 20th Century, with GM Ben Finegold
That's it for the third installment of my own take on chess.com's 50 greatest players of all time. Hope you enjoyed the blog. The good GMs below have a full selection of videos and puzzles dedicated to each of the fifty.
If you enjoy reading "greatest of" lists, then you might also enjoy chess.com's Every Chess 'Player Of The Decade' (From Morphy To Magnus).
Cheers!
Sources for the information in this series included chess.com, wikipedia.com, ChessBase, ChessMetrics, FIDE, individuals' websites, YouTube.com, news articles, books, and other sources including A-Z Quotes | Quotes for All Occasions. Plus, my faulty memories. I mixed, matched, cut, and pasted so much that separation is implausible. Particularly with quotes which are found in a thousand repositories, not to mention book covers, t-shirts, and the rantings of chess coaches of whom I've had more than a few thanks to Chess University and @AttilaTurzo (my primary instructor and co-author of a book we are writing on how to analyze during a game and afterwards.)
