What is Pal Benko?
{{Infobox chess player |name = Pal Benko |image = Interfide schaaktoernooi in GAK gebouw, Pal Benko (VS), Bestanddeelnr 916-4586 (cropped).jpg |caption = Pal Benko in 1964 |birthname = Pál Benkő |country = {{ublist|Hungary (until 1958)|United States (since 1958)}} |birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|7|15}} |birth_place = [[Amiens|Amiens, France]] |death_date = {{death date and age|2019|8|26|1928|7|15}} |death_place = |title = [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] (1958) |rating = |peakrating = 2530 (July 1973) |FideID = 2000687 }} '''Pal Benko''' ({{lang-hu|Benkő Pál}}; July 15, 1928 – August 26, 2019)<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/26/sports/pal-benko-dead.html |title=Pal Benko, Who Stepped Aside for Bobby Fischer, Dies at 91 |last=McClain |first=Dylan Loeb |date=2019-08-26 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-08-27 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> was a French-born Hungarian–American [[chess]] grandmaster.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-08-26|title=Pal Benko, Who Stepped Aside for Bobby Fischer, Dies at 91 - The New …|url=https://archive.ph/20190826233547/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/26/sports/pal-benko-dead.html|access-date=2025-04-02|website=archive.ph}}</ref> 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. He finished eighth in 1959 and sixth in 1962.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-11-14|title=Pal Benko dies aged 91 {{!}} chess24.com|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114074907/https://chess24.com/en/read/news/pal-benko-dies-aged-91|access-date=2025-04-02|website=web.archive.org}}</ref> Benko also qualified for the 1970 Interzonal tournament, but he gave his place to Bobby Fischer. Fischer later won the World Championship in 1972.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-08-28|title=Pal Benko {{!}} World Chess Hall of Fame|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828225405/https://worldchesshof.org/hof-inductee/pal-benko|access-date=2025-04-02|website=web.archive.org}}</ref> ==R