Greetings to Hungarian chess legend GM Lajos Portisch for 75th Birthday

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

 

Chess legend Lajos Portisch, also known as the Hungarian Botvinnik, celebrated his 75th birthday on April 4. A special tournament was held in his honour at the Hilton Hotel in Budapest. Lajos Portisch, born on April 4, 1937, in Zalaegerszeg (Hungary), was one of the strongest non-Soviet players from the early 1960s into the late 1980s – in fact at the time he was nicknamed the "Hungarian Botvinnik". Portisch participated in twelve consecutive Interzonals from 1962 through 1993, qualifying for the World Chess Championship Candidates' cycle a total of eight times (1965, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1985, and 1988).

Portisch set several all-time records in Chess Olympiads. In Hungarian Chess Championships, he either shared the title or won it outright a total of eight times, and was awarded the "Nemzet Sportoloja", Hungary's highest national sports achievement award. His main hobby is singing operatic arias, having a fine baritone voice, a quality shared by Vasily Smyslov. You can also read the Fide greetings here.

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