Pal Benko

Pal Charles Benko He qualified for the 1952 Interzonal tournament but was unable to compete as he was sent to a concentration camp in March 1952 for attempting to defect to the American embassy in West Berlin during a chess tournament in East Berlin. He starved and saw others around him die. He remained imprisoned for 16 months, attaining release after Stalin's death.

World title candidate 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. In the next world championship cycle, he qualified for the 1964 Interzonal but failed to progress to the Candidates.

Benko also qualified for the 1970 Interzonal tournament, but gave up his spot to Bobby Fischer, who went on to win the World Championship in 1972. He won the 1964 Canadian Open Chess Championship. He represented Hungary at the 1957 Student Olympiad in Reykjavík on , scoring 7½/12, and Hungary was fourth as a team. He had earlier played for the Hungarian national team at the Moscow 1956 Olympiad, on board three, scoring 10/15, and helping Hungary to team bronze. 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 Varna 1962, Benko played board two, scored 8/12 for the silver medal on his board, and the U.S. finished fourth. At Tel Aviv 1964, he was again on board two, scored 9½/14, and the U.S. ended up sixth. At Havana 1966, Benko was on board three, scored 8/12, and the Americans won team silver. At Lugano 1968, he made 6/12 on board three, and the U.S. finished fourth. At Siegen 1970, Benko was on board four, scoring 8½/12, and the Americans again finished fourth. His last Olympiad was Skopje 1972, where he played on board three, made 9½/16, and the U.S. ended up ninth.

Benko defeated four players who held the World Champion title at some point. They are Bobby Fischer, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian, and Vassily Smyslov. His career score against Fischer was three wins, eight losses and seven draws.

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, Sofia, Judit Polgár) and Peter Leko. Igor Zaitsev vs. Pal Benko, Solnak 1974, Benko Gambit (A57), 0–1 Pal Benko vs. Yasser Seirawan, Lone Pine 1978, English Opening, Symmetrical Variation (A34), 1–0