Pal Benko
Notable Games

Pal Benko

15 celebrated games · 596 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 596 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1945 Szigeti, Miklos vsBenko, Pal C 0-1 Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation 38 moves Budapest game Budapest 1945, as a teenager, with Black in the Botvinnik Variation of the Semi-Slav. White gives up a knight on g5 in the opening, and Black's queenside pawns decide: 21...c3, 23...cxb2, and 25...Ra3 26.Rbd1 Rxa7 takes the white queen. The b-pawn is still on b2 when White resigns after 38...Bc1.
  • 1952.03.22 Benko, Pal C vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 Zukertort Opening 62 moves Budapest Maroczy Memorial Maróczy Memorial, Budapest 1952, against Tigran Petrosian, the future World Champion. The queens come off at move 42 and the knights decide: 60.Nxa5 Nc3+ 61.Kc4 Nxa4 62.bxa4.
  • 1958.08.10 Benko, Pal C vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation 41 moves Interzonal-04 Portorož Interzonal 1958, the tournament that made Benko a grandmaster, against the fifteen-year-old Bobby Fischer. A King's Indian Sämisch: 21.Nf5 Bxf5 22.exf5, then 35.Rxd6 wins a pawn, and 41.Qg6+ ends it.
  • 1959.09.24 Benko, Pal C vsSmyslov, Vasily V 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation 74 moves Candidates Tournament Candidates Tournament 1959 against Vasily Smyslov, the former World Champion. A knight-against-bishop ending that lasts 74 moves: 62.Nxh7 and 63...fxg5+ 64.Kxg5 leave two white passed pawns, and 74.h7 finishes it.
  • 1960.06.30 Benko, Pal C vsTaimanov, Mark E 1-0 English Opening: Agincourt Defense 40 moves Buenos Aires International Buenos Aires 1960 against Mark Taimanov, a study player here. 29.Rxa6 Rxa6 30.Bxa6 wins the a-file, the a-pawn runs to a7, and 36.Nxg5 Bxg5 37.Ne6 finishes the job at move 40.
  • 1960.07.21 Benko, Pal C vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Delayed Fianchetto 27 moves Buenos Aires International Buenos Aires 1960 against Fischer again. Twenty-seven moves: Fischer's kingside advance 13...g5 and 15...f4 opens his own king, 23.Bxg7 forces the queens off, and 25.Nc7 Kf6 26.Nxa8 wins the exchange.
  • 1962.05.02 Benko, Pal C vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 Amar Opening 40 moves Candidates Tournament-05 Curaçao Candidates 1962, round one, against Fischer, opening 1.g3 — the move that has since been called Benko's Opening. 23.e5 and 26.exd6 give White a passed pawn on d6, and the game ends after 40 moves.
  • 1962.06.04 Benko, Pal C vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Amar Opening 41 moves Candidates Tournament-05 Curaçao Candidates 1962 against Mikhail Tal, the former World Champion, with 1.g3 again. 27.Ne6 Rd5 28.Bxd5 cxd5 29.Nxg7 removes the defender of the dark squares, and 41.Qa7+ ends it.
  • 1962.06.23 Benko, Pal C vsKeres, Paul 1-0 King's Indian Attack 47 moves Candidates Tournament-05 Curaçao Candidates 1962, round 27, against Paul Keres, who had won his three previous games against Benko. This loss left Keres half a point behind Tigran Petrosian, who won the tournament by that margin. The c-pawn reaches b6 via 41.cxb6 and the rook breaks in at 47.Rc8.
  • 1963.07.14 Benko, Pal C vsNajdorf, Miguel 1-0 Benoni Defense 26 moves Piatigorsky Cup-01 Piatigorsky Cup, Los Angeles 1963, against Miguel Najdorf. White castles long and opens the h-file: 12.hxg5, 17.Bh3 Nxh3 18.Rxh3 and 19.Rdh1, and 25.Qh5 Ne5 26.Qh7+ finishes in 26 moves.
  • 1963.12.26 Bisguier, Arthur Bernard vsBenko, Pal C 0-1 Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation 31 moves USA-ch U.S. Championship 1963 with Black against Arthur Bisguier, a study player here. 16...Nxf4 lets the queen go: 17.Nxa5 Nxe2+ 18.Kh1 Rc1 19.Qxc1 Nxc1 20.Rxc1 Bxf1, and the bishops win in 31 moves.
  • 1964.08 Benko, Pal C vsSuttles, Duncan 1-0 Modern Defense: Two Knights Variation, Suttles Variation 35 moves US Open-65 U.S. Open, Boston 1964 — one of his eight U.S. Open titles — against Duncan Suttles in Suttles's own variation of the Modern Defence. Black's attack runs out after 27...Nf3+ 28.gxf3 Rxg3+ 29.Kh2, and White wins at move 35.
  • 1967.03.20 Vukic, Milan vsBenko, Pal C 0-1 Benko Gambit Accepted: Fully Accepted Variation 39 moves Sarajevo-10 Sarajevo 1967 with Black — 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5, the Benko Gambit, in the years when he was making it popular. Black wins the pawn back with 28...Nxa4 and 29...Qxb3, and the rooks on the second rank finish it at move 39.
  • 1968.07.28 Benko, Pal C vsHorowitz, Israel Albert 1-0 English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined 20 moves USA-ch19 Rosenwald Trophy U.S. Championship 1968 against I. A. Horowitz. Black takes the rook on a1, and White goes for the king: 17.Nxf7 Qc8 18.Nh6+ Kh8 19.Qxd5 Nc2 20.Qg8+, with 20...Rxg8 21.Nf7 a smothered mate.
  • 1969.01.15 Benko, Pal C vsGeller, Efim P 1-0 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights, Fianchetto Variation 43 moves Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee 1969 against Efim Geller, a study player here and six times a Candidate. The queens come off at move 13; 19.Nf6+ and 20.Rd7 put a rook on the seventh, and the c-pawn decides the ending.
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