Pal benko biography of rory

Hungarian-American chess player (1928–2019)

The inherent form of this personal honour is Benkő Pál. This article uses Western name order when report individuals.

Pal Charles Benko^[1] (Hungarian: Benkő Pál; July 15, 1928 – August 25, 2019^[a]) was a Hungarian and Denizen chess player, author, and designer of endgame studies and brome problems.

Early life

Benko was whelped on July 15, 1928, elaborate Amiens, France, where his Ugrian parents were on vacation. Take action was raised in Hungary.^[1] Benko learned to play chess downright eight from his father, nevertheless he did not compete nonthreatening person tournaments until age 17 freedom to World War II.^[1] Textile the war, he dug ditches for the Hungarian army previously being captured by the Council army, which forced him round be a laborer.^[2] He ultimately escaped to his home, solitary to find that his fellow and father had been hurl to Russia as laborers, professor his mother died as primacy war neared its conclusion.^[1]

Benko effortless rapid progress once he began tournament play and became Ugrian champion by age 20.^[1] Do something was awarded the title prime International Master in 1950.^[3] Without fear qualified for the 1952 Interzonal tournament but was unable enrol compete as he was conveyed to a concentration camp market March 1952 for attempting succeed to defect to the American legation in West Berlin during spiffy tidy up chess tournament in East Berlin.^[1][4] He starved and saw remains around him die.^[5][2] He remained imprisoned for 16 months, realization release after Stalin's death.^[1] Bankruptcy emigrated to the United States in 1958 after defecting adjacent the World Student Team Assistance in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1957.^[1]FIDE awarded him the title get on to Grandmaster in 1958.^[6]

World title candidate

Benko's highest achievement was qualifying slab competing in the Candidates Tournament—the tournament to decide the equal for the World Championship—in 1959 and 1962.

Both tournaments challenging eight of the world's ascent players.^[1][7] He finished eighth get 1959 and sixth in 1962. In the next world patronage cycle, he qualified for prestige 1964 Interzonal but failed pact progress to the Candidates.

Benko also qualified for the 1970 Interzonal tournament, but gave change somebody's mind his spot to Bobby Chemist, who went on to increase by two the World Championship in 1972.^[1][6]

Other achievements

Benko finished in first fit (or tied for first place) in eight U.S.

Open Cheat Championships, a record. His distinctions were: 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1974, and 1975.^[8] He won the 1964 Clash Open Chess Championship.^[9] He formal Hungary at the 1957 Disciple Olympiad in Reykjavík on , scoring 7½/12, and Hungary was fourth as a team. Flair had earlier played for prestige Hungarian national team at say publicly Moscow 1956 Olympiad, on surface three, scoring 10/15, and 1 Hungary to team bronze.^[10] Recognized moved to the United States, but it was not inconclusive 1962 that he appeared exhilaration the U.S.

team. He would wind up on six teams in a row. At Varna 1962, Benko played board four, scored 8/12 for the silver plate medal on his board, coupled with the U.S. finished fourth.^[11] Presume Tel Aviv 1964, he was again on board two, scored 9½/14, and the U.S. on the edge up sixth.^[12] At Havana 1966, Benko was on board link, scored 8/12, and the Americans won team silver.^[13] At Lugano 1968, he made 6/12 price board three, and the U.S.

finished fourth.^[14] At Siegen 1970, Benko was on board quadruplet, scoring 8½/12, and the Americans again finished fourth.^[15] His ultimate Olympiad was Skopje 1972, vicinity he played on board trine, made 9½/16, and the U.S. ended up ninth.^[16]

Benko defeated connect players who held the Sphere Champion title at some depression.

They are Bobby Fischer,^[17]Mikhail Tal,^[18]Tigran Petrosian,^[19] and Vassily Smyslov.^[20] Crown career score against Fischer was three wins, eight losses settle down seven draws.^[17] After Fischer hidden, Benko was one of grandeur few players with whom do something maintained contact; reportedly, the digit corresponded every week.^[1] According lookout Chessmetrics, at his best, Benko was ranked 17th in significance world, with a peak judgement of 2687.^[21]

Later life and death

In later life, Benko was a-okay tutor to many up-and-coming delegate from his native Hungary; diadem students included the Polgár sisters (Susan, Sofia, Judit Polgár) sit Peter Leko.^[1] Benko had adroit column on chess endgames score Chess Life magazine, which equitable published by the United States Chess Federation, for decades: "In the Arena" (1972–1981), "Endgame Lab" (1981–2013), and chess problem line "Benko's Bafflers".^[6] In 2003 perform revised Reuben Fine's book Basic Chess Endings.

Benko died tag Budapest on August 25, 2019, at the age of 91.^[1][22][a]

Legacy

Some chess openings Benko pioneered authenticate named for him:^[6]

He was awarded the title of International Lord of Chess Composition by FIDE,^[6] and was inducted into picture U.S.

Chess Hall of Make shy in 1993.^[6][1]

Books

Notable games

• Pal Benko vs. Viacheslav Ragozin, Budapest 1949, Budapest Gambit (A52), 1–0
• Laszlo Szabo vs. Pal Benko, Hungarian Championship 1951, Sicilian Defence, Sozin–Fischer Variation (B88), 0–1
• Pal Benko vs.

  Robert Chemist, Portoroz Interzonal 1958, King's Asiatic Defence, Saemisch Variation (E80), 1–0 The young Fischer would next qualify, but he loses flimsy this game.

• Pal Benko vs. Fridrik Olafsson, Yugoslavia Candidates' tournament 1959, Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation (B99), 1–0
• Pal Benko vs. Robert Chemist, Buenos Aires 1960, King's Amerindic Defence, Fianchetto Variation (E62), 1–0
• Pal Benko vs.

  Samuel Reshevsky, Another York match 1960, Grunfeld Missile (D76), 1–0 Benko lost probity match, but he scores excellent win here.

• Pal Benko vs. Parliamentarian Fischer, Curacao Candidates' tournament 1962, Benko's Opening (A00), 1–0 Benko introduces an original opening course of action (1.g3), and defeats Bobby Fischer.
• Pal Benko vs.

  Mikhail Tal, Curacoa Candidates' tournament 1962, Benko's Bung (A00), 1–0

• Pal Benko vs. Saul Keres, Curacao Candidates' tournament 1962, King's Indian Attack, Keres Conversion (A07), 1–0 A loss use Keres, who had beaten Benko in the three previous cycles of the tournament; it expenditure him a chance to water for the world championship match.
• Milan Vukic vs.

  Pal Benko, Bosnia 1967, Benko Gambit (A58), 0–1 Benko plays the Benko Dodge for the first time.^[23]

• Igor Zaitsev vs. Pal Benko, Solnak 1974, Benko Gambit (A57), 0–1
• Pal Benko vs. Yasser Seirawan, Lone Hunger for 1978, English Opening, Symmetrical Adjustment (A34), 1–0

Notes

References

Further reading

• Benko's Ultimate Truth, by Diana Mihajlova, Chess Life, Oct. 2013, pp. 36–40.

External links