Pal Benko: My Life, Games, and Compositions Book

Grandmaster Pal Benko is a chess legend. A challenger for the World Championship, an innovator of many modern opening systems, a problem composer par excellence, and a father figure to his close friend Bobby Fischer, Benko has played and defeated many of the top players of the last fifty years.
This autobiography and game collection goes far beyond most "life and games" books. Benko's early years in war-torn Hungary are looked at in detail, taking the reader into a world of poverty, chaos, pain, and, ultimately, personal triumph. His insights into famous grandmasters fill almost every page, and his reminiscences of legendary tournaments take us on a journey of chess history unlike anything that's been published before.

With an amazing game collection of 138 deeply annotated games - carefully prepared to be entertaining, enlightening, and instructive - this book serves as a text on handling myriad openings, mastering many middlegame positions, and outplaying even the strongest foe in the endgame.

PAL BENKO: MY LIFE, GAMES, AND COMPOSITIONS is a celebration of this great man's creative legacy: Interviews with other players offer great insights into Benko's nature. A massive survey of Benko's openings (by famed author John Watson) shows us the scope of Benko's theoretical contributions to the game. Photos abound, and 300 of Benko's chess compositions allow lovers of the game to become intimately acquainted with a strikingly beautiful aspect of chess that most have overlooked.

This highly entertaining book gives competitors who wish to improve their playing strength a dynamic, fun way to deepen their knowledge and understanding.

About the Authors:

Pal Benko is a Grandmaster, a former World Championship candidate, a winner of innumberable international competitions, the author of numerous articles and several chessbooks (including WINNING WITH CHESS PSYCHOLOGY and CHESS ENDGAME LESSONS), and the most dominating "open tournament" player in American history, Pal Benko's name is entwined in virtually every modern area of chess mythology and chess theory.

Jeremy Silman is an International Master and a world-class teacher, writer, and player who has won the American Open, the National Open, and the U.S. Open. He is the author of over thirty-four highly popular books, including THE AMATEUR'S MIND, HOW TO REASSESS YOUR CHESS, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHESS STRATEGY, and THE REASSESS YOUR CHESS WORKBOOK.