Pal Benko vs Bobby Fischer (1962) Hungary for a Win

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Pal Benko vs Bobby Fischer
"Hungary for a Win" (game of the day Sep-02-2014)
Curacao Candidates (1962), Willemstad CUW, rd 1, May-02
Pirc Defense: General (B07) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Given 18 times; par: 71 [what's this?]

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer). [35434 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 3 OF 3 · Later Kibitzing>
Sep-02-14		Castleinthesky: I just got done reading a biography of Fischer, "Endgame" by Frank Brady. Brady tells about a physical altercation between Fischer and Benko after Fischer told Benko to leave Fischer's hotel room during a gathering of the tournament's players. Fischer then tried (unsuccessfully) to get Benko kicked out of the tournament.

Sep-02-14		Howard: In Brady's earlier book Profile of a Prodigy, he states that the confrontation between Benko and Fischer came about because Bisguier was to serve as a second for BOTH Fischer and Benko. The USCF budget apparently couldn't afford a second for each of them (in sharp contrast to the might Soviets, who would have had a whole battery of seconds !). But Fischer felt that since he had the better chances of placing first, that therefore Bisguier should give his adjourned games priority over Benko's. However, Benko didn't see it that way. The two men got into a heated argument over it in the hotel room.

Sep-02-14		Petrosianic: <The USCF budget apparently couldn't afford a second for each of them. To be precise, they couldn't afford a second second.

Sep-02-14		Dr. Overlord: <Petrosianic> <To be precise, they couldn't afford a second second.> I second that opinion.

Sep-02-14		ljfyffe: 1g3: What about the Suttles Opening? Or, at least, the Subtle Opening?

Sep-03-14		An Englishman: Good Morning: <posoo>, I live in multiple time zones simultaneously, the best way to follow chess worldwide.

Sep-03-14		perfidious: <An Englishman> Are you related to the late Sybil, she of multiple personalities?

Sep-03-14		ljfyffe: <Hungary for a win> Perhaps, he was hungry for some Turkey and Greece! Regardless, he was able to put Fischer in Czech....

Sep-04-14		An Englishman: Good Evening: <perfidious>, I have acted in over 225 projects, one personality per project. Sybil? She just wasn't trying.

Sep-04-14		Mr. Bojangles: <The two men got into a heated argument over it in the hotel room.> Heated argument ?? They had a punch up! Considering they were room mates, it must have been very awkward afterwards.

Sep-04-14		ljfyffe: <I> don't have split-personality disorder. My other personality has it, though.

Sep-04-14		perfidious: <ljfyffe> Except, of course, when it doesn't.

Sep-04-14		ljfyffe: I do have an identical twin brother, however. This part is true!

Sep-04-14		perfidious: <Considering they were room mates, it must have been very awkward afterwards.> To put it mildly.

Sep-05-14		ljfyffe: I need to slow down; shouldn't go Russian into the puns.

Jan-07-15		ljfyffe: MCO 10 mistakenly gives 12B-K3 (Be3) Q-B2(Qc7) 13P-B4 (f4).

Jul-15-17		kingfu: I wonder if Fischer expected Benko to go into a King's Indian. Fischer was +28 as Black in the King's Indian defense. Not so good in the Pirc. Still, Fischer could have had a good opening with 8...a5. Transpositions can be a great tool to get your opponent into unknown positions.

Jul-17-18		Howard: Seems somewhat premature for Mednis to claim that Fischer's position was, arguably, lost after eight moves.

Jun-22-19		Fusilli: In this position, my knee-jerk reaction would be to play 25.Kh2 more or less automatically. click for larger view Benko played 25.Kf2. The computer says 25.Kh2 is all right, but 25.Kf2 is better. Little subtleties like this make one of the many differences between GMs and players like me...

Oct-03-21		Retireborn: A curiosity is that Benko in his autobiographical book describes 40...Qh3+ as the sealed move. Obviously not the case, but if Benko sealed something he doesn't tell us what it was. Likely Fischer resigned whilst waiting for Benko to seal, having calculated that there's no perpetual.

Oct-03-21		beatgiant: <Retireborn> On the first page of kibitzing, <Eyal> wrote, <The game was adjourned and Fischer resigned without resuming>. Why do you say it's not the case?

Oct-04-21		Granny O Doul: @beatgiant: The time control at Curacao was the then-standard 40 moves in 2.5 hours. White's 41st was the first move that could potentially be sealed.

Oct-04-21		Retireborn: <beatgiant> I've no idea what happened, I'm just reporting what Benko says in his book about 40...Qh3+ being the sealed move. If the game was actually adjourned then Benko must have sealed something, likely the 41.Kf2 in the variation he gives. Perhaps it's a typo in the book, or a sentence fell out out of the manuscript, who knows?

Feb-03-23		Everett: Total Russian interference on this one

Feb-03-23		Dionysius1: <Sept-02-14 Petrosianic: <The USCF budget apparently couldn't afford a second for each of them. To be precise, they couldn't afford a second second. Sept-02-14 Dr. Overlord: <Petrosianic> <To be precise, they couldn't afford a second second.> I second that opinion> Did you both manage to cease this abthird one-up-man-ship, or is there more fourthcoming

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