 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2010) |
| Lajos Portisch | |
|---|---|
 Lajos Portisch in 1968 | |
| Country | Hungary |
| Born | 4 April 1937 Zalaegerszeg, Kingdom of Hungary |
| Title | Grandmaster (1961) |
| FIDE rating | 2467 (November 2024) |
| Peak rating | 2655 (January 1980) |
| Peak ranking | No. 2 (January 1981) |
Lajos Portisch (born 4 April 1937) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik". One of the strongest non-Soviet players from the early 1960s into the late 1980s, he 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 (1958, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1975, and 1981). He won many strong international tournaments during his career. In 2004, Portisch was awarded the title of 'Nemzet Sportolója' (Sportsman of the Nation), Hungary's highest national sports achievement award.
His main hobby is singing operatic arias; he has a fine baritone voice, a quality shared by Vasily Smyslov, a chess world champion and grandmaster who also had talent as an operatic singer. His younger brother, Ferenc (born 1939), is an International Master.