✅ #about_Benko
🔹 Pal Benko
🔹 Hungarian–American chess grandmaster and chess Composer
🔰 Pal Benko is a Hungarian–American chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems.
🔘 Full name: Pál Benkő
🔘 Country: Hungary (until 1958) & United States (since 1958)
🔘 Born: July 15, 1928 (age 90)
🔘 Amiens, France
🔘 Title: Grandmaster (1958)
🔘 FIDE rating: 2408 (July 2018)
🔘 Peak rating: 2530 (July 1973)
🔰 Benko was born in Amiens, France, but was raised in Hungary. At the age of 12, Benko’s world was devastated by World War II. Life in Hungary during the war became filled with hardships and traumas. He dug ditches for the Hungarian army, was then captured by the Russian army, which forced him to be a laborer. He eventually escaped to his home, to find that his brother and father had been sent to Russia as slaves. During a chess tournament in East Berlin, Benko tried to defect to the American embassy in West Berlin, but was captured and sent to a concentration camp for a year and a half. He starved and saw others around him die. He became 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.
@unitychess
🔹 Pal Benko
🔹 Hungarian–American chess grandmaster and chess Composer
🔰 Pal Benko is a Hungarian–American chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems.
🔘 Full name: Pál Benkő
🔘 Country: Hungary (until 1958) & United States (since 1958)
🔘 Born: July 15, 1928 (age 90)
🔘 Amiens, France
🔘 Title: Grandmaster (1958)
🔘 FIDE rating: 2408 (July 2018)
🔘 Peak rating: 2530 (July 1973)
🔰 Benko was born in Amiens, France, but was raised in Hungary. At the age of 12, Benko’s world was devastated by World War II. Life in Hungary during the war became filled with hardships and traumas. He dug ditches for the Hungarian army, was then captured by the Russian army, which forced him to be a laborer. He eventually escaped to his home, to find that his brother and father had been sent to Russia as slaves. During a chess tournament in East Berlin, Benko tried to defect to the American embassy in West Berlin, but was captured and sent to a concentration camp for a year and a half. He starved and saw others around him die. He became 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.
@unitychess
21.Kc3
A better try would be 21.b4 to continue with the plan of c5, trying to activate the g3-bishop.
21...a5 22.b3 Rfe8 23.Rd2 h5 =
A better try would be 21.b4 to continue with the plan of c5, trying to activate the g3-bishop.
21...a5 22.b3 Rfe8 23.Rd2 h5 =
12.Qc2?!
White should have prepared to launch the typical central blow with the following continuation:
12.Re1! Na5 13.f3 Re8 14.Nf2 Nc4 15.e4.
12...Na5 13.Ba3 Re8 14.Nb2 Ne4 15.Rad1 Qd7 =
White should have prepared to launch the typical central blow with the following continuation:
12.Re1! Na5 13.f3 Re8 14.Nf2 Nc4 15.e4.
12...Na5 13.Ba3 Re8 14.Nb2 Ne4 15.Rad1 Qd7 =
19. Qg3
19. Bxh6!
A)19...Bf8 20. Qg3 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Kh7 22. Bd2 +/-
B)19... gxh6 20. Qxh6 Bf8 21. Qg5+ Kh8 22. Ng4 Rxe2 23. Rxe2+/-
Finding the precise moves is difficult for Black.
19... Bd6 20. Ng4 Kh8 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Rxe8+ Qxe8 23. Bxd6 cxd6 24. Qxd6 Qe1+ 25. Kh2 Qe6 26. Qf8+ Kh7 27.Ne3
White has a slight advantage.
19. Bxh6!
A)19...Bf8 20. Qg3 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Kh7 22. Bd2 +/-
B)19... gxh6 20. Qxh6 Bf8 21. Qg5+ Kh8 22. Ng4 Rxe2 23. Rxe2+/-
Finding the precise moves is difficult for Black.
19... Bd6 20. Ng4 Kh8 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Rxe8+ Qxe8 23. Bxd6 cxd6 24. Qxd6 Qe1+ 25. Kh2 Qe6 26. Qf8+ Kh7 27.Ne3
White has a slight advantage.
59... Qd7+!
An instructive endgame.
If White traded queens off, the result would be a draw.
60. Qg4
(60. Qxd7+ Kxd7 61. Kg4 Ke6 62. Kf4 Kf6 63. g4 Ke6 64.Ke4 Kf6)
60... Kd8 1/2-1/2
An instructive endgame.
If White traded queens off, the result would be a draw.
60. Qg4
(60. Qxd7+ Kxd7 61. Kg4 Ke6 62. Kf4 Kf6 63. g4 Ke6 64.Ke4 Kf6)
60... Kd8 1/2-1/2
12.h4
The problem for Black is that he cannot free his position with .. .c5 very easily, as this advance would open the d-file for White's d1-rook. White has many plans available to attack the black king: 1. Aim for a pawn storm with h4, g4, h5 etc. 2. Play Ng5 to tempt ...h6 which as we know provides a target for a g-pawn launch. 3. Carry out a Greek gift sacrifice, as in the game. For Black, it's hard to see how he can try and whip up an attack. It will take too much time to push the a- and b-pawns (he needs to play ...a6 then ...b5 and so on, which will take many moves) so instead Black tries to create a direct attack towards a2 with his pieces.
12...Nb4?
After which he was stunned to see...
13.Bxh7+! Kxh7 14.Ng5+ Kg6
Or 14...Kg8 15.Qh5 Bxg5 (15...Be4 16.Nxe4 Qd5 17.Qxd5 Nxd5 was the best defence; Black remains 'only' a pawn down) 16.hxg5 f5 17.g6!. This pawn stops the king running away via f7, and Qh8 mate is now unstoppable.
15.h5+ Kf6
15...Kh6 16.Nxf7+ nets the queen.
16.Nh7+ Kf5 17.g4+ Ke4 18.c4!+-
The problem for Black is that he cannot free his position with .. .c5 very easily, as this advance would open the d-file for White's d1-rook. White has many plans available to attack the black king: 1. Aim for a pawn storm with h4, g4, h5 etc. 2. Play Ng5 to tempt ...h6 which as we know provides a target for a g-pawn launch. 3. Carry out a Greek gift sacrifice, as in the game. For Black, it's hard to see how he can try and whip up an attack. It will take too much time to push the a- and b-pawns (he needs to play ...a6 then ...b5 and so on, which will take many moves) so instead Black tries to create a direct attack towards a2 with his pieces.
12...Nb4?
After which he was stunned to see...
13.Bxh7+! Kxh7 14.Ng5+ Kg6
Or 14...Kg8 15.Qh5 Bxg5 (15...Be4 16.Nxe4 Qd5 17.Qxd5 Nxd5 was the best defence; Black remains 'only' a pawn down) 16.hxg5 f5 17.g6!. This pawn stops the king running away via f7, and Qh8 mate is now unstoppable.
15.h5+ Kf6
15...Kh6 16.Nxf7+ nets the queen.
16.Nh7+ Kf5 17.g4+ Ke4 18.c4!+-
13...h5!
Preventing g4, which would kick the f5-knight away, and setting up a prelude to a pawn storm.
14.g3?
White could hardly consider 14.exf6? on this move or anytime around this point, as after 14...gxf6 Black gets an open g-file, the d6-square for the bishop and chances to open the centre with ...e5. White gets nothing in return for giving up the center.
14...a6 15.Ba4
Now the a4-a5 plan is definitely not on, and Petrosian decides it's time to go onto the attack.
15...g5-+.
Preventing g4, which would kick the f5-knight away, and setting up a prelude to a pawn storm.
14.g3?
White could hardly consider 14.exf6? on this move or anytime around this point, as after 14...gxf6 Black gets an open g-file, the d6-square for the bishop and chances to open the centre with ...e5. White gets nothing in return for giving up the center.
14...a6 15.Ba4
Now the a4-a5 plan is definitely not on, and Petrosian decides it's time to go onto the attack.
15...g5-+.
Unity Chess Multiple Choice 561
public poll
B: Qb8 – 4
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 80%
@Afshin3333, Ramesh, @Amiiiin_tb, Zhenrui
A: b5 – 1
👍👍 20%
@RichardPeng
C: Re8
▫️ 0%
👥 5 people voted so far.
public poll
B: Qb8 – 4
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 80%
@Afshin3333, Ramesh, @Amiiiin_tb, Zhenrui
A: b5 – 1
👍👍 20%
@RichardPeng
C: Re8
▫️ 0%
👥 5 people voted so far.