In 1969–70, András Adorján (ne Jocha) secured the title of European Junior Champion at the 'Niemeyer Tournament' in Groningen, and in 1969 at Stockholm, he 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 Adorján won (jointly) his first Hungarian Championship, going on to a further (this time outright) victory in 1984. He was also an International Arbiter (1994).
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, Adorján 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". Adorján's 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, Adorján 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, Adorján compiled an excellent record. Competing at the Chess Olympiad of 1978, he helped Hungary to capture the gold medal from the Soviet team, which had convincingly won the event twelve consecutive times from 1952 through 1974. Adorján's 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.
Adorján 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 was known as a leading expert on the Grünfeld Defence, which has been favored by both Kasparov and Leko.
Adorján took violent exception to the commonly held view that White begins the game with a slight advantage, and Black must strive for equality. In an influential series of books and articles, he advanced the thesis that Black is OK! His books on this theme included Black is OK! (1988), Black is O.K. in Rare Openings (1998), Black is Still OK! (2004), Black is OK Forever! (2005), and Black is Back! What's White's Advantage Anyway? (2016).
Wikipedia article: András Adorján
Kibitzing
