View source for Pal Benko

{{Short description|Hungarian-American chess grandmaster (1928–2019)}}
{{Use American English||date=September 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Eastern name order|Benkő Pál}}
{{Infobox chess player
| image       = Pal Benko 1964.jpg
| caption     = Benko in 1964
| full_name   = Pal Charles Benko
| country     = {{ubl|Hungary (before 1962)|United States (from 1962)}}
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1928|7|15}}
| birth_place = [[Amiens]], France
| death_date  = {{death date and age|2019|8|25|1928|7|15}}{{efn|name=fn1}}
| death_place = [[Budapest]], Hungary
| title       = [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] (1958)
| peakrating  = 2530 (July 1973)
}}

'''Pal Charles Benko'''<ref name="nyt"/> ({{langx|hu|Benkő Pál}}; July 15, 1928 – August 25, 2019{{efn|name=fn1}}) was a Hungarian and American [[chess grandmaster]], author, and [[Chess composer|composer]] of [[Endgame study|endgame studies]] and [[chess problem]]s.

== Early life ==
Benko was born on July 15, 1928, in [[Amiens]], France, where his Hungarian parents were on vacation. He was raised in [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Hungary]].<ref name="nyt"/> Benko learned to play chess aged eight from his father, but he did not compete in tournaments until age 17 due to World War II.<ref name = "nyt"/> During the war, he dug ditches for the Hungarian army before being captured by the Soviet army, which forced him to be a laborer.<ref name=mylife/> He eventually escaped to his home, only to find that his brother and father had been sent to Russia as laborers, and his mother died as the war neared its conclusion.<ref name = "nyt"/>

Benko made rapid progress once he began tournament play and became [[Hungarian Chess Championship|Hungarian champion]] by age 20.<ref name = "nyt"/> He was awarded the title of [[International Master]] in 1950.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=2000687|title=Pal Benko's rating card|website=FIDE|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827122307/http://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=2000687|archive-date=August 27, 2019|access-date=September 5, 2019}}</ref> He qualified for the [[World Chess Championship 1954|1952 Interzonal tournament]] but was unable to compete as he was sent to a concentration camp in March 1952 for attempting to [[Defection|defect]] to the American embassy in West Berlin during a chess tournament in East Berlin.<ref name = "nyt"/><ref>{{cite web|url =https://en.chessbase.com/post/congratulations-pal-benko-celebrates-his-90th-birthday|title=Pal Benko celebrates his 90th birthday|first =Frank|last =Zeller|website =ChessBase|date =July 15, 2018}}</ref> He starved and saw others around him die.<ref>[https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-early-life-of-pal-benko The Early Life of Pal Benko], chess.com</ref><ref name=mylife>Benko, Pal. Silman, Jeremy. ''Pal Benko: My Life, Games, and Compositions''. Siles Press. {{ISBN|978-1890085087}} (2004)</ref> He remained imprisoned for 16 months, attaining release after Stalin's death.<ref name = "nyt"/> He emigrated to the United States in 1958 after defecting following the World Student Team Championship in [[Reykjavík]], Iceland, in 1957.<ref name = "nyt"/> [[FIDE]] <!-- Fédération Internationale des Échecs --> awarded him the title of [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] in 1958.<ref name = "hof">{{cite web|url=https://worldchesshof.org/hof-inductee/pal-benko|title=Pal Benko|date=March 23, 2017|website=[[World Chess Hall of Fame]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828225405/https://worldchesshof.org/hof-inductee/pal-benko|archive-date=August 28, 2019|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref>

== World title candidate ==
Benko's highest achievement was qualifying and competing in the [[Candidates Tournament]]—the tournament to decide the challenger for the [[World chess championship|World Championship]]—in [[World Chess Championship 1960|1959]] and [[World Chess Championship 1963|1962]]. Both tournaments had eight of the world's top players.<ref name = "nyt"/><ref name = "chess24">{{cite news |url=https://chess24.com/en/read/news/pal-benko-dies-aged-91 |title=Pal Benko dies aged 91 |work=Chess24.com |access-date=August 27, 2019}}</ref> He finished eighth in 1959 and sixth in 1962. In the next world championship cycle, he qualified for the [[World Chess Championship 1966|1964 Interzonal]] but failed to progress to the Candidates.

Benko also qualified for the [[World Chess Championship 1972|1970 Interzonal]] tournament, but gave up his spot to [[Bobby Fischer]], who went on to win the [[World Chess Championship 1972|World Championship in 1972]].<ref name = "nyt"/><ref name = "hof"/>

== Other achievements ==
Benko finished in first place (or tied for first place) in eight [[U.S. Open Chess Championship]]s, a record. His titles were: 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1974, and 1975.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uschess.org/images/stories/Yearbooks/2016yearbook.pdf|title=Yearbook|date=2016|website=[[United States Chess Federation|USchess.org]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205162607/http://www.uschess.org/images/stories/Yearbooks/2016yearbook.pdf|archive-date=December 5, 2018|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> He won the 1964 [[Canadian Open Chess Championship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chess.ca/node/547#Open|title=Canadian Championship History|website=[[Chess Federation of Canada|Chess.ca]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828234757/https://chess.ca/node/547|archive-date=August 28, 2019|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> He represented Hungary at the 1957 Student Olympiad in [[Reykjavík]] on {{chessgloss|first board|board one}}, scoring 7½/12, and Hungary was fourth as a team. He had earlier played for the Hungarian national team at the [[12th Chess Olympiad|Moscow 1956 Olympiad]], on board three, scoring 10/15, and helping Hungary to team bronze.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olimpbase.org/1956/1956ed.html|title=12th Chess Olympiad, Moscow 1956, Group 4 standings|website=Olimpbase.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008013214/https://www.olimpbase.org/1956/1956ed.html|archive-date=October 8, 2017|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> He moved to the United States, but it was not until 1962 that he appeared on the U.S. team. He would wind up on six teams in a row. At [[15th Chess Olympiad|Varna 1962]], Benko played board two, scored 8/12 for the silver medal on his board, and the U.S. finished fourth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olimpbase.org/1962/1962eb.html|title=15th Chess Olympiad, Varna 1962, Group 2 standings|website=Olimpbase.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009090019/https://www.olimpbase.org/1962/1962eb.html|archive-date=October 9, 2017|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> At [[16th Chess Olympiad|Tel Aviv 1964]], he was again on board two, scored 9½/14, and the U.S. ended up sixth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olimpbase.org/1964/1964ed.html|title=16th Chess Olympiad, Tel Aviv 1964, Group 4 standings|website=Olimpbase.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811181522/https://www.olimpbase.org/1964/1964ed.html|archive-date=August 11, 2019|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> At [[17th Chess Olympiad|Havana 1966]], Benko was on board three, scored 8/12, and the Americans won team silver.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olimpbase.org/1966/1966ec.html|title=17th Chess Olympiad, Havana 1966, Group 3 standings|website=Olimpbase.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128015756/https://www.olimpbase.org/1966/1966ec.html|archive-date=November 28, 2018|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> At [[18th Chess Olympiad|Lugano 1968]], he made 6/12 on board three, and the U.S. finished fourth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olimpbase.org/1968/1968eb.html|title=18th Chess Olympiad, Lugano 1968, Group 2 standings|website=Olimpbase.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506152323/https://www.olimpbase.org/1968/1968eb.html|archive-date=May 6, 2016|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> At [[19th Chess Olympiad|Siegen 1970]], Benko was on board four, scoring 8½/12, and the Americans again finished fourth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olimpbase.org/1970/1970ec.html|title=19th Chess Olympiad, Siegen 1970, Group 3 standings|website=Olimpbase.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216151223/https://www.olimpbase.org/1970/1970ec.html|archive-date=February 16, 2018|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> His last Olympiad was [[20th Chess Olympiad|Skopje 1972]], where he played on board three, made 9½/16, and the U.S. ended up ninth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olimpbase.org/1972/1972eh.html|title=20th Chess Olympiad, Skopje 1972, Group 8 standings|website=Olimpbase.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110153639/https://www.olimpbase.org/1972/1972eh.html|archive-date=January 10, 2018|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref>

Benko defeated four players who held the World Champion title at some point. They are [[Bobby Fischer]],<ref name="ChessGames vs Fischer">[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?yearcomp=exactly&year=&playercomp=either&pid=14726&player=&pid2=19233&player2=&movescomp=exactly&moves=&opening=&eco=&result=1st CHESSGAMES.COM * Chess game search engine – Games where Pal Benko defeated Robert James Fischer]</ref> [[Mikhail Tal]],<ref>[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?yearcomp=exactly&year=&playercomp=either&pid=14726&player=&pid2=14380&player2=&movescomp=exactly&moves=&opening=&eco=&result=1st CHESSGAMES.COM * Chess game search engine – Games where Pal Benko defeated Mikhail Tal]</ref> [[Tigran Petrosian]],<ref>[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?pid=14726&pid2=16149&playercomp=either&result=1st CHESSGAMES.COM * Chess game search engine – Games where Pal Benko defeated Tigran Petrosian]</ref> and [[Vassily Smyslov]].<ref>[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?yearcomp=exactly&year=&playercomp=either&pid=14726&player=&pid2=14676&player2=&movescomp=exactly&moves=&opening=&eco=&result=1st CHESSGAMES.COM * Chess game search engine – Games where Pal Benko defeated Vassily Smyslov]</ref> His career score against Fischer was three wins, eight losses and seven draws.<ref name="ChessGames vs Fischer"/> After Fischer retired, Benko was one of the few players with whom he maintained contact; reportedly, the two corresponded every week.<ref name = "nyt"/>  According to [[Chessmetrics]], at his best, Benko was ranked 17th in the world, with a peak rating of 2687.<ref>[http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/PlayerProfile.asp?Params=199510SSSSS3S010653195001111000000000000010100 Chessmetrics Player Profile: Pal Benko]</ref>

== Later life and death ==
In later life, Benko was a tutor to many up-and-coming players from his native Hungary; his students included the Polgár sisters ([[Susan Polgár|Susan]], [[Sofia Polgár|Sofia]], [[Judit Polgár]]) and [[Peter Leko]].<ref name = "nyt" /> Benko had a column on [[chess endgame]]s in ''[[Chess Life]]'' magazine, which is published by the [[United States Chess Federation]], for decades: "In the Arena" (1972–1981), "Endgame Lab" (1981–2013), and chess problem column "Benko's Bafflers".<ref name = "hof"/> In 2003 he revised [[Reuben Fine]]'s book ''[[Basic Chess Endings]]''. Benko died in Budapest on August 25, 2019, at the age of 91.{{r|"nyt"|"cb"}}{{efn|name=fn1}}

== Legacy ==
{{algebraic notation|pos=secleft}}
[[File:Benkő Pál (2005).jpg|thumb|320px|Benko in 2005 with the [[Benko Gambit]] position]]
Some [[chess opening]]s Benko pioneered are [[List of chess openings named after people|named]] for him:<ref name = "hof"/>

* The [[Benko Gambit]] (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5), which he popularised and played with great success from the mid-1960s.<ref name = "hof"/>
* [[Benko's Opening]] (1.g3), which he introduced at the [[World Chess Championship 1963|1962 Candidates Tournament]], defeating [[Bobby Fischer]] and [[Mikhail Tal]] with it.<ref name = "hof"/>

He was awarded the title of International Master of Chess Composition by [[FIDE]],<ref name = "hof"/> and was inducted into the [[World Chess Hall of Fame#Hall of Fame|U.S. Chess Hall of Fame]] in 1993.<ref name = "hof"/><ref name="nyt"/>

== Books ==
* ''The Benko Gambit''. 1974. RHM Press. {{ISBN|0-713-42912-7}}
<!-- * ''Chess Endgame Lessons''. 1990. Revised 2nd Edition -->
* ''Winning with Chess Psychology'' by Pal Benko and Burt Hochberg. 1991. Random House Puzzles & Games {{ISBN|0-8129-1866-5}}
<!-- * ''Chess Endgame Lessons Volume 2''. 1999. -->
* ''[[Basic Chess Endings]]'' by [[Reuben Fine]], revised by Pal Benko. 2003. Random House Puzzles & Games {{ISBN|0-8129-3493-8}}
* ''Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions'' by Pal Benko, [[Jeremy Silman]], and [[John L. Watson]]. 2004. Siles Press. {{ISBN|1-890085-08-1}}
* ''Pal Benko's Endgame Laboratory''. 2007. Ishi Press. {{ISBN|978-0-923891-88-6}}

== Notable games ==
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1116622 Pal Benko vs. Viacheslav Ragozin, Budapest 1949, Budapest Gambit (A52), 1–0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1136682 Laszlo Szabo vs. Pal Benko, Hungarian Championship 1951, Sicilian Defence, Sozin–Fischer Variation (B88), 0–1]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044461 Pal Benko vs. Robert Fischer, Portoroz Interzonal 1958, King's Indian Defence, Saemisch Variation (E80), 1–0] The young Fischer would later qualify, but he loses in this game.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1241672 Pal Benko vs. Fridrik Olafsson, Yugoslavia Candidates' tournament 1959, Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation (B99), 1–0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044508 Pal Benko vs. Robert Fischer, Buenos Aires 1960, King's Indian Defence, Fianchetto Variation (E62), 1–0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1411115 Pal Benko vs. Samuel Reshevsky, New York match 1960, Grunfeld Defence (D76), 1–0] Benko lost the match, but he scores a win here.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044543 Pal Benko vs. Robert Fischer, Curacao Candidates' tournament 1962, Benko's Opening (A00), 1–0] Benko introduces an original opening scheme (1.g3), and defeats [[Bobby Fischer]].
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1139564 Pal Benko vs. Mikhail Tal, Curacao Candidates' tournament 1962, Benko's Opening (A00), 1–0]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1072970 Pal Benko vs. Paul Keres, Curacao Candidates' tournament 1962, King's Indian Attack, Keres Variation (A07), 1–0] A loss for Keres, who had beaten Benko in the three previous cycles of the tournament; it costs him a chance to qualify for the world championship match.
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1153868 Milan Vukic vs. Pal Benko, Sarajevo 1967, Benko Gambit (A58), 0–1] Benko plays the Benko Gambit for the first time.<ref>''Benko Counter-Gambit'', [[David Levy (chess player)|David Levy]], (Batsford, 1978), p.11</ref>
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1385886 Igor Zaitsev vs. Pal Benko, Solnak 1974, Benko Gambit (A57), 0–1]
* [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1434328 Pal Benko vs. Yasser Seirawan, Lone Pine 1978, English Opening, Symmetrical Variation (A34), 1–0]

== Notes ==
{{notelist|refs=

{{efn|name=fn1|''[[The New York Times]]'' states that Benko died "on Monday" (in other words, August 26).<ref name="nyt">{{cite web|last=McClain|first=Dylan Loeb|date=August 25, 2019|title=Pal Benko, Who Stepped Aside for Bobby Fischer, Dies at 91|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/26/sports/pal-benko-dead.html|website=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190826233547/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/26/sports/pal-benko-dead.html|archive-date=August 26, 2019}}</ref> However, according to ''[[ChessBase]]'', Benko's wife wrote to [[Frederic Friedel]]: "Dear Frederic, sorry, my husband could not write to you, because he died on 25 of August."<ref name="cb">{{cite web|last=Friedel|first=Frederic|author-link=Frederic Friedel|date=August 27, 2019|title=Pál Benkö dies at 91|url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/pl-benkoe-dies-at-91|website=[[ChessBase]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190828155755/https://en.chessbase.com/post/pl-benkoe-dies-at-91|archive-date=August 28, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Further reading==
* ''Benko's Ultimate Truth'', by Diana Mihajlova, ''[[Chess Life]]'', Oct. 2013, pp.&nbsp;36–40.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Pál Benkő}}
* {{OlimpBase FIDE ratings|Benko,%20Pal%20C.|Pal C. Benko}}
* {{USCF|10080321|Pal C. Benko}}
* {{Chessgames player|14726|Pal C. Benko}}
* {{365Chess.com player|Pal_C_Benko|Pal C. Benko}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060630172401/http://supreme-chess.com/famous-chess-players/pal-benko.html Pal Benko] download 765 Benko games in [[Portable Game Notation|PGN format]]
* [http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review420.pdf#search='studies%20problems%20benko' "Best Chess Bio Yet?"] by Taylor Kingston; review of Benko biography, containing additional info on Benko
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130309224533/http://worldchesshof.org/hall-of-fame/us-chess/pal-benko/ Pal Benko] U.S. Chess Hall of Fame
* [http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/benko.html "Pal Benko (1928–2019)"] by Edward Winter

{{American chess grandmasters}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benko, Pal}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:American chess players]]
[[Category:American chess writers]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:American instructional writers]]
[[Category:Chess composers]]
[[Category:Chess Grandmasters]]
[[Category:Chess theoreticians]]
[[Category:Hungarian chess players]]
[[Category:Hungarian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Hungarian refugees]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Amiens]]
[[Category:20th-century Hungarian chess players]]
[[Category:20th-century American chess players]]