Pal Benko

Pal Benko was born on July 15, 1928 in France, but he was raised in Hungary. By the age of 20, he was the Hungarian champion. In 1958, he emigrated to the United States and this same year, FIDE awarded him the title of grandmaster. He was a candidate for the World Championship in 1959 and 1962. In 1970, he qualified for the Interzonal tournament, the leaders of which advance to the playoffs for the World Championship. However, he gave up his spot in the Interzonal to Bobby Fischer, who went on to win the World Championship in 1972.

Benko has finished in first place (or tied for first place) in eight U.S. Open Chess Championships. Some chess openings he pioneered are named for him: Benko Gambit (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5) and Benko's Opening (1. g3). In addition to his success as a player, he is a noted authority on the chess endgame and a composer of chess problems and endgame studies. He has had a column on endgames for decades in Chess Life magazine, the official publication of the United States Federation. In 1993, he was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame. and in 2003, he revised the classic book Basic Chess Endings by Reuben Fine.

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