Pal Benko
| Pal Benko | |
|---|---|
Pal Benko in 1964
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| Full name | Pál Benkő |
| Country | Hungary United States |
| Born |
July 14, 1928 Amiens, France |
| Title | International Master (1950) Grandmaster (1958) |
| FIDE rating | 2408 (March 2017) |
| Peak rating | 2530 (July 1973) |
Pal Benko (Hungarian: Benkő Pál; born July 14, 1928) is a chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems.
Benko was born in Amiens, France, but was raised in Hungary. He was Hungarian champion by age 20. He emigrated to the United States in 1958, after defecting following the World Student Team Championship in Reykjavík, Iceland in 1957. FIDE awarded him the Grandmaster title in 1958.
Benko's highest achievement was qualifying and competing in the Candidates Tournament—the tournament to decide the challenger for the World Championship—in 1959 and 1962. Both tournaments had eight of the world's top players. He finished eighth in 1959 and sixth in 1962.
Benko qualified for the 1970 Interzonal tournament, the leaders of which advance to the Candidates. However, he gave up his spot in the Interzonal to Bobby Fischer, who went on to win the World Championship in 1972.
Benko finished in first place (or tied for first place) in eight U.S. Open Chess Championships, a record. His titles were: 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1975. He won the 1964 Canadian Open Chess Championship.
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