Hello all:

On page 166 of my copy of "Russians versus Fischer", the authors assert
that "...Fischer would have to miss another world championship cycle,
but to his aid came Benko, who for one and a half thousand dollars
agreed to give him his place in the Interzonal Tournament."

This is the first time I've seen a claim that Benko was "bought off"
for $1,500. Is this substantiated anywhere else, for example, in
Benko's recent autobiography (which I do not own, and have not read)?

If true, the authors have left off a few details that matter, namely,
who paid Benko, and when? The when matters because presumably Fischer
would have had to agree that he would play, otherwise why bribe GM
Benko?

Regards,
zdrakec

On 31 Dec 2006 10:25:43 -0800, "zdrakec" wrote:

Hello all:

On page 166 of my copy of "Russians versus Fischer", the authors assert
that "...Fischer would have to miss another world championship cycle,
but to his aid came Benko, who for one and a half thousand dollars
agreed to give him his place in the Interzonal Tournament."

This is the first time I've seen a claim that Benko was "bought off"
for $1,500. Is this substantiated anywhere else, for example, in
Benko's recent autobiography (which I do not own, and have not read)?

If true, the authors have left off a few details that matter, namely,
who paid Benko, and when? The when matters because presumably Fischer
would have had to agree that he would play, otherwise why bribe GM
Benko?

Regards,
zdrakec

As I remember, the USCF paid it. An interesting point is that,
technically, Fischer wasn't *next* in line if Benko pulled out -- any
of the other players in the US Championship (which was the official
zonal), in the order of their finish, could have opted to take his
place. Dunno whether they all acquiesced, or whether the Federation
didn't give them that option.

On Dec 31, 1:25 pm, "zdrakec" wrote:
Hello all:

On page 166 of my copy of "Russians versus Fischer", the authors assert
that "...Fischer would have to miss another world championship cycle,
but to his aid came Benko, who for one and a half thousand dollars
agreed to give him his place in the Interzonal Tournament."

This is the first time I've seen a claim that Benko was "bought off"
for $1,500. Is this substantiated anywhere else, for example, in
Benko's recent autobiography (which I do not own, and have not read)?

Checking "Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions," I don't see
anything to substantiate the claim of $1500. That Benko did cede his
place to Fischer is acknowledged at least twice in his autobiography,
on page xiii by Susan Polgar, and by Benko himself on page 426. He says
"I was sure Bobby would advance to the Candidates Matches and beat the
Russians. My own career was nearing its end, so why shouldn't I give
Fischer a chance to embrace his fate?" But I see no mention of payment
of any kind.
The claim of $1500 in RvF seems to come from Petrosian. It seems
unlikely he would know firsthand, and no real source is given. It's
sometimes said that Benko was given his regular endgame column in Chess
Life as a reward, but I've never seen any real verification of that
story either.

If true, the authors have left off a few details that matter, namely,
who paid Benko, and when? The when matters because presumably Fischer
would have had to agree that he would play, otherwise why bribe GM
Benko?

Regards,
zdrakec

zdrakec wrote:

Hello all:

On page 166 of my copy of "Russians versus Fischer", the authors assert
that "...Fischer would have to miss another world championship cycle,
but to his aid came Benko, who for one and a half thousand dollars
agreed to give him his place in the Interzonal Tournament."

This is the first time I've seen a claim that Benko was "bought off"
for $1,500. Is this substantiated anywhere else,

Yes, but the precise figure may be a bit higher, as GM Benko
was also compensated for being GM Fischer's second in addition
to ceding his interzonal spot.


for example, in
Benko's recent autobiography (which I do not own, and have not read)?

If true, the authors have left off a few details that matter, namely,
who paid Benko,

The USCF paid him, courtesy of Ed Edmondson, its president.

and when?

Probably around September or October of 1970; this is when the
FIDE General Assembly voted to allow the substitution.

The when matters because presumably Fischer
would have had to agree that he would play, otherwise why bribe GM
Benko?

Well, you see...

----------

It was all part of a vast conspiracy to keep Pal Benko out of
the world championship cycle, as his then new Benko Gambit
was winning perforce! The evil Russians knew their men -- GM
Petrosian, world champ Spassky, and even GM Tal -- were no
match for this terrible, this unstoppable Weapon of Queenside
Destruction [WQD]! In fact, GM Benko had demonstrated the
incredible power of this newly-developed weapon already, in
various open tournaments, against others. Its many victims
were left with nothing more than faint memories of what had
been, up 'till then, solid-looking queenside real estate. Had
they only known what destruction and utter desolation was in
store, they would have clearly preferred anything else -- even
a King's pawn game, it is true! The key lay in tricking the
"King of Opens", as he was then known, to *voluntarily* yield
his all-but-certain ascendancy to the crown, to the world
championship thrown. To make a long story a tad shorter,
all it took was miracle-man Ed Edmondson and a paltry
$1500 or $2000 -- the deal of a lifetime!

The rest, as they say, is history. GM Fischer -- practically
dragged to the board by Mr. Edmondson, among others --
stumbled his way onto the throne, leaving the evil Russians
wondering what happened. Hence, the Evil Empire -- a term
coined by Ronald Reagan -- was hoodwinked by a clever,
determined American named Ed Edmondson -- the real hero
of our story; at least for one world championship cycle,
anyway.

So you see, it really wasn't so much about "buying off"
Pal Benko, as it was a matter of navigating around a series
of formidable obstacles, not the least of which was GM
Fischer.

-- help bot

MORE DISINFORMATION

Yes, but the precise figure may be a bit higher, as GM Benko
was also compensated for being GM Fischer's second in addition
to ceding his interzonal spot.

GM Larry Evans was Fischer's second at Mallorca in 1970.

help bot wrote:
zdrakec wrote:

Hello all:

On page 166 of my copy of "Russians versus Fischer", the authors assert
that "...Fischer would have to miss another world championship cycle,
but to his aid came Benko, who for one and a half thousand dollars
agreed to give him his place in the Interzonal Tournament."

This is the first time I've seen a claim that Benko was "bought off"
for $1,500. Is this substantiated anywhere else,

Yes, but the precise figure may be a bit higher, as GM Benko
was also compensated for being GM Fischer's second in addition
to ceding his interzonal spot.


for example, in
Benko's recent autobiography (which I do not own, and have not read)?

If true, the authors have left off a few details that matter, namely,
who paid Benko,

The USCF paid him, courtesy of Ed Edmondson, its president.

and when?

Probably around September or October of 1970; this is when the
FIDE General Assembly voted to allow the substitution.

The when matters because presumably Fischer
would have had to agree that he would play, otherwise why bribe GM
Benko?

Well, you see...

----------

It was all part of a vast conspiracy to keep Pal Benko out of
the world championship cycle, as his then new Benko Gambit
was winning perforce! The evil Russians knew their men -- GM
Petrosian, world champ Spassky, and even GM Tal -- were no
match for this terrible, this unstoppable Weapon of Queenside
Destruction [WQD]! In fact, GM Benko had demonstrated the
incredible power of this newly-developed weapon already, in
various open tournaments, against others. Its many victims
were left with nothing more than faint memories of what had
been, up 'till then, solid-looking queenside real estate. Had
they only known what destruction and utter desolation was in
store, they would have clearly preferred anything else -- even
a King's pawn game, it is true! The key lay in tricking the
"King of Opens", as he was then known, to *voluntarily* yield
his all-but-certain ascendancy to the crown, to the world
championship thrown. To make a long story a tad shorter,
all it took was miracle-man Ed Edmondson and a paltry
$1500 or $2000 -- the deal of a lifetime!

The rest, as they say, is history. GM Fischer -- practically
dragged to the board by Mr. Edmondson, among others --
stumbled his way onto the throne, leaving the evil Russians
wondering what happened. Hence, the Evil Empire -- a term
coined by Ronald Reagan -- was hoodwinked by a clever,
determined American named Ed Edmondson -- the real hero
of our story; at least for one world championship cycle,
anyway.

So you see, it really wasn't so much about "buying off"
Pal Benko, as it was a matter of navigating around a series
of formidable obstacles, not the least of which was GM
Fischer.

-- help bot

On Jan 1, 7:45 am, wrote:
MORE DISINFORMATION

Yes, but the precise figure may be a bit higher, as GM Benko
was also compensated for being GM Fischer's second in addition
to ceding his interzonal spot.

GM Larry Evans was Fischer's second at Mallorca in 1970.

And as far as I know, Benko never served as an official second for
Fischer at any event, ever. Help-bot is either pulling our collective
leg here, or is clearly mistaken.
IIRC, the only way Benko ever acted in any second's capacity for
Fischer was that in a few international events they played in together,
Benko may have helped Bobby with a little adjournment analysis now and
then. But this was all before 1970, and was completely informal, not by
any USCF arrangement.


help bot wrote:
zdrakec wrote:

Hello all:

On page 166 of my copy of "Russians versus Fischer", the authors assert
that "...Fischer would have to miss another world championship cycle,
but to his aid came Benko, who for one and a half thousand dollars
agreed to give him his place in the Interzonal Tournament."

This is the first time I've seen a claim that Benko was "bought off"
for $1,500. Is this substantiated anywhere else,

Yes, but the precise figure may be a bit higher, as GM Benko
was also compensated for being GM Fischer's second in addition
to ceding his interzonal spot.

for example, in
Benko's recent autobiography (which I do not own, and have not read)?

If true, the authors have left off a few details that matter, namely,
who paid Benko,

The USCF paid him, courtesy of Ed Edmondson, its president.

and when?

Probably around September or October of 1970; this is when the
FIDE General Assembly voted to allow the substitution.

The when matters because presumably Fischer
would have had to agree that he would play, otherwise why bribe GM
Benko?

Well, you see...

----------

It was all part of a vast conspiracy to keep Pal Benko out of
the world championship cycle, as his then new Benko Gambit
was winning perforce! The evil Russians knew their men -- GM
Petrosian, world champ Spassky, and even GM Tal -- were no
match for this terrible, this unstoppable Weapon of Queenside
Destruction [WQD]! In fact, GM Benko had demonstrated the
incredible power of this newly-developed weapon already, in
various open tournaments, against others. Its many victims
were left with nothing more than faint memories of what had
been, up 'till then, solid-looking queenside real estate. Had
they only known what destruction and utter desolation was in
store, they would have clearly preferred anything else -- even
a King's pawn game, it is true! The key lay in tricking the
"King of Opens", as he was then known, to *voluntarily* yield
his all-but-certain ascendancy to the crown, to the world
championship thrown. To make a long story a tad shorter,
all it took was miracle-man Ed Edmondson and a paltry
$1500 or $2000 -- the deal of a lifetime!

The rest, as they say, is history. GM Fischer -- practically
dragged to the board by Mr. Edmondson, among others --
stumbled his way onto the throne, leaving the evil Russians
wondering what happened. Hence, the Evil Empire -- a term
coined by Ronald Reagan -- was hoodwinked by a clever,
determined American named Ed Edmondson -- the real hero
of our story; at least for one world championship cycle,
anyway.

So you see, it really wasn't so much about "buying off"
Pal Benko, as it was a matter of navigating around a series
of formidable obstacles, not the least of which was GM
Fischer.

-- help bot- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

wrote:

MORE DISINFORMATION

Yes, but the precise figure may be a bit higher, as GM Benko
was also compensated for being GM Fischer's second in addition
to ceding his interzonal spot.

GM Larry Evans was Fischer's second at Mallorca in 1970.

Okay, boss. The info I had was from Ed Edmondson himself, but it
was written (just) *prior* to the 1970 event. In his letter, Mr.
Edmondson
explained to GM Fischer that GM Evans wanted far too much money,
and so -- according to him -- Pal Benko was the only option. I had no
inkling that such a pronouncement as this could be swept aside so
easily. My Google search failed to unearth any contrary evidence,
so, like Sam Sloan, I grabbed the ball and ran with it. It goes
without
saying that if I had more time, I could have waded through my old
issues of Chess Life for a report giving such info as the exact dates,
as requested by the original poster.

What struck me as funny were the "hits" I got which described
the "fistfight" incident between the man EE said was the "only
option", and GM Fischer. Very odd to have him as a second after
such an incident, IMO.

At any rate, the world was saved from the Benko Gambit, and
that is the most important thing.

-- help bot

On Jan 1, 7:51 pm, "help bot" wrote:
wrote:
MORE DISINFORMATION

Yes, but the precise figure may be a bit higher, as GM Benko
was also compensated for being GM Fischer's second in addition
to ceding his interzonal spot.

GM Larry Evans was Fischer's second at Mallorca in 1970.

Okay, boss. The info I had was from Ed Edmondson himself, but it
was written (just) *prior* to the 1970 event. In his letter, Mr.
Edmondson
explained to GM Fischer that GM Evans wanted far too much money,
and so -- according to him -- Pal Benko was the only option. I had no
inkling that such a pronouncement as this could be swept aside so
easily. My Google search failed to unearth any contrary evidence,
so, like Sam Sloan, I grabbed the ball and ran with it.

Helpbot has found his ideal.

It goes
without saying that if I had more time, I could have waded through my old
issues of Chess Life for a report giving such info as the exact dates,
as requested by the original poster.

Benko himself says nothing about this Edmonson arrangement in his
autobiography. He was quite busy with his own tournament activity in
1970-71 and would have had to break this off to work for Fischer. He
does say this:

"In 1971 Fischer was at the Grossinger Hotel in the Catskills
preparing for his match with Spassky. He invited me to work with him,
but at that time I had already accepted an invitation to a European
tournament and had (rather sadly) to decline, though I did come up with
one counter 'variation': I offered to withdraw from the tournament and
help him out if he also hired me to be his second in Iceland.
Unfortunately he couldn't make up his mind, so I had to walk away from
this possibility as well (he eventually chose Lombardy)." -- "Pal
Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions," page 274.

What struck me as funny were the "hits" I got which described
the "fistfight" incident between the man EE said was the "only
option", and GM Fischer. Very odd to have him as a second after
such an incident, IMO.

That was years earlier, at Curaçao 1962. By 1971 they had long since
gotten over that. And it was not a "fistfight" -- though under
considerable provocation, Benko hit Fischer only once. He felt very
sorry about it later. In fact, Benko says "I became so guilt-ridden for
punching someone I genuinely cared about that I could never play well
against him again." (ibid., p. 127)
Had they really had a fight, Fischer would likely have been the
loser. Benko was quite strong.

Taylor Kingston wrote:

My Google search failed to unearth any contrary evidence,
so, like Sam Sloan, I grabbed the ball and ran with it.

Helpbot has found his ideal.


Actually, my ideal would be to have a perfect, infallible
source from which to extract perfect, infallible information,
which answers -- perfectly -- the precise questions asked
by the original poster, and then goes on to add valuable
insights to them. (Hey -- you brought it up, not me.)

The truth is, I thought Google would be more than sufficient
in view of the vast archives, but instead I got a swing and a
miss.

Here is one of the responses which prompted me to do
this search in the first place, for it lacked anything of real
substance and seemed to imply that the idea of Benko
having received any money was way off base:

---------
"Checking "Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions," I don't see
anything to substantiate the claim of $1500. That Benko did cede his
place to Fischer is acknowledged at least twice in his autobiography,
on page xiii by Susan Polgar, and by Benko himself on page 426. He says
"I was sure Bobby would advance to the Candidates Matches and beat the
Russians. My own career was nearing its end, so why shouldn't I give
Fischer a chance to embrace his fate?" But I see no mention of payment
of any kind.
The claim of $1500 in RvF seems to come from Petrosian. It seems
unlikely he would know firsthand, and no real source is given. It's
sometimes said that Benko was given his regular endgame column in Chess
Life as a reward, but I've never seen any real verification of that
story either."
---------

That reply was written by someone who, like me, lacked
sufficient resources (or perhaps, time) to come up with a definitive
answer to the poster's questions and instead took a shot in the
dark, missing.


It goes
without saying that if I had more time, I could have waded through my old
issues of Chess Life for a report giving such info as the exact dates,
as requested by the original poster.

Benko himself says nothing about this Edmonson arrangement in his
autobiography.

Are you denying that EE made the arrangements for
GM Fischer's participation in the 1970 interzonal?


He was quite busy with his own tournament activity in
1970-71 and would have had to break this off to work for Fischer. He
does say this:

"In 1971 Fischer was at the Grossinger Hotel in the Catskills
preparing for his match with Spassky. He invited me to work with him,
but at that time I had already accepted an invitation to a European
tournament and had (rather sadly) to decline, though I did come up with
one counter 'variation': I offered to withdraw from the tournament and
help him out if he also hired me to be his second in Iceland.
Unfortunately he couldn't make up his mind,

Here is a revealing quote! The man who allegedly was strong on
"principle" is described as being *unable* to make up his mind.
This observation goes a long way toward explaining what many
would like to attribute to Mr. Fischer "having principles".


so I had to walk away from
this possibility as well (he eventually chose Lombardy)." -- "Pal
Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions," page 274.

It looks like GM Fischer wanted the help of three men:
GM Evans, GM Benko, and GM Lombardy, but was perhaps
limited (at the time) by money. How sad, for once he attained
the world championship title money was no longer an issue.
In fact, he repeatedly declined lucrative offers.

What struck me as funny were the "hits" I got which described
the "fistfight" incident between the man EE said was the "only
option", and GM Fischer. Very odd to have him as a second after
such an incident, IMO.

That was years earlier, at Curaçao 1962. By 1971 they had long since
gotten over that. And it was not a "fistfight" -- though under
considerable provocation, Benko hit Fischer only once. He felt very
sorry about it later. In fact, Benko says "I became so guilt-ridden for
punching someone I genuinely cared about that I could never play well
against him again."

Same here. When young Fischer first learned the moves,
I used to draw him all the time. But afterwards, when he
began to play legal chess, I got into it with him over a small
piece of chewing gum and had to rip it from his tiny hands.
Ever after, I never so much as drew a game, despite his
generous offers of Queen odds. It's not that he was any
good, mind you; it's on account of the psychological
aspect. Were it not for this horrible handicap, I would of
course have beaten him like a carrot -- just like GM Benko.


Had they really had a fight, Fischer would likely have been the
loser. Benko was quite strong.

One of the hits described it as a "slapping incident",
while others called it a fistfight. GM Evans (among
others) has pointed out it was a single blow, delivered
by GM Benko, many times. This is why I used the
quotation marks.

-- help bot

On Jan 1, 8:55 pm, "help bot" wrote:
Taylor Kingston wrote:
My Google search failed to unearth any contrary evidence,
so, like Sam Sloan, I grabbed the ball and ran with it.

Helpbot has found his ideal. Actually, my ideal would be to have a perfect, infallible
source from which to extract perfect, infallible information,
which answers -- perfectly -- the precise questions asked
by the original poster, and then goes on to add valuable
insights to them. (Hey -- you brought it up, not me.)

The truth is, I thought Google would be more than sufficient
in view of the vast archives, but instead I got a swing and a
miss.

Here is one of the responses which prompted me to do
this search in the first place, for it lacked anything of real
substance ...

On a question about Pal Benko, you regard the testimony of Benko
himself as not "of real substance"? A strange attitude.

... and seemed to imply that the idea of Benko
having received any money was way off base:

It makes no implication either way. It simply does not mention money.
Try reading it again:

"Checking "Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions," I don't see
anything to substantiate the claim of $1500. That Benko did cede his
place to Fischer is acknowledged at least twice in his autobiography,
on page xiii by Susan Polgar, and by Benko himself on page 426. He says
"I was sure Bobby would advance to the Candidates Matches and beat the
Russians. My own career was nearing its end, so why shouldn't I give
Fischer a chance to embrace his fate?" But I see no mention of payment
of any kind.
The claim of $1500 in RvF seems to come from Petrosian. It seems
unlikely he would know firsthand, and no real source is given. It's
sometimes said that Benko was given his regular endgame column in Chess
Life as a reward, but I've never seen any real verification of that
story either."
---------

That reply was written by someone who, like me, lacked
sufficient resources (or perhaps, time) to come up with a definitive
answer to the poster's questions and instead took a shot in the
dark, missing.

No, the OP asked specifically what Benko's autobiography said on this
matter:

"Is this substantiated anywhere else, for example, in Benko's recent
autobiography(which I do not own, and have not read)?"

I answered that question, because I happen to have the book. Far from
being a "shot in the dark," it was the only authoritative answer
possible to that question. It does not settle the question of what if
any payment Benko received, but it does settle the question of what his
autobiography says.

Benko himself says nothing about this Edmondson arrangement in his
autobiography.

Are you denying that EE made the arrangements for
GM Fischer's participation in the 1970 interzonal?

I am denying neither that, nor the fact that the moon orbits the
earth. The "arrangement" my sentence referred to was the alleged 1970
attempt by Edmondson to hire Benko as Fischer's second. As with the
$1500, Benko says nothing about it. As far as second work was
concerned, his autobiography mentions only dealing directly with
Fischer in 1971, not with Edmondson in 1970.
Benko may or may not have been paid $1500. He may or may not have
been asked by Edmondson to work for Fischer in 1970. Both scenarios
seem quite plausible. Unfortunately, whatever the facts, Benko's book
is not a confirming source on these two questions.