LaviChess

Ulf Andersson vs. Portisch, Skopje 1972

Ulf Andersson was known for calm, safe play. But at the 1972 Chess Olympiad he chased Lajos Portisch's king out into the middle of the board, and after 21 moves one of the world's best players resigned.

  • WhiteUlf Andersson
  • BlackLajos Portisch
  • WhereSkopje
  • WhenOctober 1, 1972
  • EventSkopje Chess Olympiad, Final A, round 5 (Sweden vs. Hungary)
  • Result1–0, White won
  • OpeningSicilian Defense (B51)
  • Length21 moves

In the autumn of 1972 the Chess Olympiad was played in Skopje, in what was then Yugoslavia. Ulf Andersson was 21 and played first board for Sweden. That same year he became a grandmaster.

In round 5 of Final A, Sweden met Hungary, who would take silver behind the Soviet Union. Andersson faced Lajos Portisch, one of the best players in the world.

Andersson preferred positional play and seldom took risks. This game was something else.

The players

Ulf Andersson (born 1951) from Västerås became Swedish champion in 1969 and a grandmaster in 1972. He played first board for Sweden at every Chess Olympiad he played from 1970 to 2002, and in January 1983 he was fourth on the world list.

Lajos Portisch (born 1937) from Hungary was one of the world's strongest players from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. Eight times he was among the candidates for the world title, and he won the Hungarian championship nine times. He has a fine baritone voice and loves to sing operatic arias.

Read more about Ulf Andersson among the great chess players.

The game move by move

Step through with the arrows or tap a move. Moves with a dot have a comment.

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Ulf Andersson has the white pieces, Lajos Portisch the black.

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Open on the analysis board

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Play like Andersson

Guess the moves Andersson played, one at a time. The move from the game earns two points, and a move Lavi thinks is about as good earns one. The other side's moves and the game's notes come as you go.

Play like AnderssonPlay like Portisch

The moments that decided it

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After 17.Ba3: the bishop waits behind the pawn on b4 and the knight on d6. The diagonal leads all the way to the king on e7.
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After 19.b5+: discovered check from a3, and the pawn attacks the knight on c6.

The end

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The final position after 21.Nxe5. Black resigned after 21.Nxe5.

Why the game is famous

The game is famous because it shows a different side of Andersson from the usual one. Thomas Engqvist, who in 2025 published a book on Andersson's attacking games, recommends it as a teaser: “When I first saw this game, I couldn't help but think of Paul Morphy because, just like Morphy in many romantic games, Ulf developed the bishop to a3 with decisive effect.”

“The crowning moment,” Engqvist writes, “is when Ulf tried to force the king to e5, and Portisch had the good sense to resign after such a humiliating treatment.”

The whole game with notes, as text

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 4. O-O Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. c3 a6 7. Bf1 e5 8. h3 h6 9. d4 Qc7 10. a4 g6 11. Na3 Bg7 12. dxc5 dxc5 13. Nc4 Rb8 14. b4 Andersson opens the game on the queenside. After the trade on b4 the c-file is open. 14… cxb4 15. cxb4 Be6 Black is already in a bad way. Now the knight jumps into d6. 16. Nd6+ Check. Portisch moves his king and so can never castle. 16… Ke7 17. Ba3 The bishop stands behind the pawn on b4 and the knight on d6. Once both have moved, the diagonal is open all the way to the king on e7. The move made Thomas Engqvist think of Paul Morphy. 17… Ne8 18. Nxb7 The knight is sacrificed on b7. After 18…Qxb7 the pawn advances with a discovered check. 18… Qxb7 19. b5+ Discovered check: the pawn moves forward, and the bishop on a3 gives check. At the same time the pawn attacks the knight on c6. 19… Kf6 20. bxc6 White wins the piece back and is now a pawn up. The black king is still out on f6. 20… Qc7 21. Nxe5 Portisch resigned. The black king is stranded in the middle of the board, and White has both more material and an attack.

PGN – the game as text for other chess programs
[Event "Skopje Chess Olympiad, Final A, round 5 (Sweden vs. Hungary)"]
[Site "Skopje"]
[Date "1972.10.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ulf Andersson"]
[Black "Lajos Portisch"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6 4. O-O Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. c3 a6 7. Bf1 e5 8. h3 h6 9. d4 Qc7 10. a4 g6 11. Na3 Bg7 12. dxc5 dxc5 13. Nc4 Rb8 14. b4 cxb4 15. cxb4 Be6 16. Nd6+ Ke7 17. Ba3 Ne8 18. Nxb7 Qxb7 19. b5+ Kf6 20. bxc6 Qc7 21. Nxe5 1-0

Download .pgn

Sources

  • PGN Mentor, Andersson.pgn
  • OlimpBase: 20th Chess Olympiad, Skopje 1972, the games (72olm.pgn)
  • Thomas Engqvist: Ulf – the Attacker! (New in Chess 2025), the preface
  • Wikipedia: 20th Chess Olympiad
  • Wikipedia: Lajos Portisch

The moves compared in two sources (PGN Mentor and OlimpBase): identical, 41 half-moves. Portisch resigned after 21.Nxe5. Date and round from OlimpBase. Every move has also been replayed by computer and checked against the rules of chess.

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Updated November 14, 2026