Andras Adorjan
Encyclopedia
András Adorján is a Hungarian author and Grandmaster of chess
(1973), born in Budapest
. He adopted his mother's surname Adorján in 1968.
In 1969-70, he secured the title of European Junior Champion and in 1969 at Stockholm, finished runner-up in the World Junior Chess Championship
to Anatoly Karpov
. Qualification as an International Master came in 1970 and as a Grandmaster in 1973. The latter was also the year that he won (jointly) his first Hungarian Championship
, going on to a further (this time outright) victory in 1984.
Other tournament successes (finishing either first or joint first) included Varna 1972, Osijek 1978, Budapest 1982, Gjovik 1983, Esbjerg 1985 and New York Open 1987. In an interview, he recounts the story of his telephoned invitation to Luhacovice in 1973; he enquired - "Is there a GM norm on offer?", to which came the answer "Yes". His next question - "When does it start?" was met with the reply "Half an hour ago". He also went on to win that tournament.
At the Riga Interzonal
of 1979, he finished joint third and qualified for the World Championship Candidates Tournament
via tiebreaks, after drawing a match (+1 -1 =2) with fellow Hungarian Zoltán Ribli
. At the Candidates he lost his quarter-final match to Robert Hübner
.
In team chess, Adorjan has an excellent record. Competing at the Chess Olympiad
of 1978, he helped Hungary to capture the gold medal from the Soviet team who had convincingly won the event twelve consecutive times from 1952 through 1974. His further participation in 1984, 1986 and 1988 contributed to a top five finish on each occasion. Compatriots Lajos Portisch
, Ribli and Gyula Sax
were also at the peak of their playing strength during this period.
Adorjan has also worked over the years, sometimes secretly, as a second to Garry Kasparov
and to Peter Leko
, helping them to prepare for important World Championship
matches. He is known as a leading expert on the Grünfeld Defence
, which has been favored by both Kasparov and Leko. He is also known for his political battles with Susan Polgar
, with them attacking each other in the press. Polgar has often stated that she will not play in any tournament to which Adorjan has been invited.
In recent years he has played less and concentrated more on writing, becoming renowned for his series of books championing the cause of the player of the black pieces - Black is OK, Black is Still OK and Black is OK Forever. The books challenge the popular perceptions of Black's chances and diagrammed positions are even presented with the black pieces playing up the board. For their creativity with the black pieces, Adorjan cites the games of Tony Miles
and Alexander Morozevich
as a source of inspiration.
His writing is always imaginative, quirky and anecdotal. In one review, it was suggested that Adorjan's books could have been co-authored by Botvinnik
and Monty Python
.
In the field of chess opening
theory, Adorjan's passions have in many ways mirrored the theme of his books. Typical is his handling of the 'Hedgehog
System' versus the English Opening
. The system seeks to neutralise white's first move advantage by engineering rapid piece development on the queenside, behind flexible, low-key pawn moves (such as d6, a6 and b6). The formation is said to resemble the prickly spines of the hedgehog, repelling premature attacks and offering no soft target
s.
Adorjan's other passion is music. He has composed many songs and also translated Godspell into Hungarian.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
(1973), born in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. He adopted his mother's surname Adorján in 1968.
In 1969-70, he secured the title of European Junior Champion and in 1969 at Stockholm, finished runner-up in the World Junior Chess Championship
World Junior Chess Championship
The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
to Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
. Qualification as an International Master came in 1970 and as a Grandmaster in 1973. The latter was also the year that he won (jointly) his first Hungarian Championship
Hungarian Chess Championship
The inaugural Hungarian Chess Championship was held in the city of Győr in 1906. Initially, there was no governing body responsible for its organisation, until the formation of the Hungarian Chess Federation. The HCF first appeared in 1911, but failed to establish itself properly until 1923...
, going on to a further (this time outright) victory in 1984.
Other tournament successes (finishing either first or joint first) included Varna 1972, Osijek 1978, Budapest 1982, Gjovik 1983, Esbjerg 1985 and New York Open 1987. In an interview, he recounts the story of his telephoned invitation to Luhacovice in 1973; he enquired - "Is there a GM norm on offer?", to which came the answer "Yes". His next question - "When does it start?" was met with the reply "Half an hour ago". He also went on to win that tournament.
At the Riga Interzonal
Interzonal
Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle.- Zonal tournaments :...
of 1979, he finished joint third and qualified for the World Championship Candidates Tournament
Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship...
via tiebreaks, after drawing a match (+1 -1 =2) with fellow Hungarian Zoltán Ribli
Zoltan Ribli
Zoltán Ribli is a Hungarian chess grandmaster and International Arbiter . He was twice a World Championship Candidate and three times Hungarian Champion.-A career in chess:...
. At the Candidates he lost his quarter-final match to Robert Hübner
Robert Hübner
Robert Hübner is a respected German chess Grandmaster, chess writer, and papyrologist . At eighteen, he was joint winner of the West German Chess Championship...
.
In team chess, Adorjan has an excellent record. Competing at the Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
of 1978, he helped Hungary to capture the gold medal from the Soviet team who had convincingly won the event twelve consecutive times from 1952 through 1974. His further participation in 1984, 1986 and 1988 contributed to a top five finish on each occasion. Compatriots Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...
, Ribli and Gyula Sax
Gyula Sax
Gyula Sax is a Hungarian chess player and International Arbiter , born in Budapest.He was awarded the IM title in 1972 and the GM title in 1974. He was the Hungarian Chess Champion in 1976 and 1977 . In 1971-72, he was the European Junior Champion, and he placed first at Rovinj-Zagreb 1975,...
were also at the peak of their playing strength during this period.
Adorjan has also worked over the years, sometimes secretly, as a second to Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
and to Peter Leko
Péter Lékó
On the way to winning the prestigious Corus chess tournament in 2005, Lékó defeated Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand with the black pieces. The moves were:...
, helping them to prepare for important World Championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
matches. He is known as a leading expert on the Grünfeld Defence
Grünfeld Defence
The Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The first instance of this opening is in an 1855 game by Moheschunder Bannerjee, an Indian player who had transitioned from Indian chess rules, playing black against John Cochrane in Calcutta, in May 1855: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4...
, which has been favored by both Kasparov and Leko. He is also known for his political battles with Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar is a Hungarian-American chess Grandmaster...
, with them attacking each other in the press. Polgar has often stated that she will not play in any tournament to which Adorjan has been invited.
In recent years he has played less and concentrated more on writing, becoming renowned for his series of books championing the cause of the player of the black pieces - Black is OK, Black is Still OK and Black is OK Forever. The books challenge the popular perceptions of Black's chances and diagrammed positions are even presented with the black pieces playing up the board. For their creativity with the black pieces, Adorjan cites the games of Tony Miles
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles was an English chess Grandmaster.- Early achievements in chess :Miles was born in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...
and Alexander Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich is a Russian chess Grandmaster. In the November 2011 FIDE list, he had an Elo rating of 2762, making him the 9th-highest rated player in the world, although he has previously ranked as high as second, in the July 2008 list....
as a source of inspiration.
His writing is always imaginative, quirky and anecdotal. In one review, it was suggested that Adorjan's books could have been co-authored by Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
and Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
.
In the field of chess opening
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
theory, Adorjan's passions have in many ways mirrored the theme of his books. Typical is his handling of the 'Hedgehog
Hedgehog Defence
In chess, the Hedgehog is a pawn formation adopted usually by Black that can arise from several openings. Black exchanges his pawn on c5 for White's pawn on d4, and then places pawns on squares a6, b6, d6, and e6. These pawns form a row of "spines" behind which Black develops his forces...
System' versus the English Opening
English Opening
In chess, the English Opening is the opening where White begins:A flank opening, it is the fourth most popular and, according to various databases, anywhere from one of the two most successful to the fourth most successful of White's twenty possible first moves. White begins the fight for the...
. The system seeks to neutralise white's first move advantage by engineering rapid piece development on the queenside, behind flexible, low-key pawn moves (such as d6, a6 and b6). The formation is said to resemble the prickly spines of the hedgehog, repelling premature attacks and offering no soft target
Soft target
Soft target is a military term referring to unarmored/undefended targets needing to be destroyed. For example, a soft target would be an automobile, a house, or assembly of people while a hard target could be a main battle tank or a well defended installation...
s.
Adorjan's other passion is music. He has composed many songs and also translated Godspell into Hungarian.
External links
- András Adorján at 365Chess.com
- Chessville Interview with András Adorján
- Magister Musicae; András Adorján Video Master Classes.