" The famous American grandmaster and chess composer has probably played hundreds of thousands of moves throughout his illustrious chess career. Which one is the best?

Here is what Pal Benko wrote in Chess Life magazine (April 2016).

"With my long career it is difficult to pinpoint a single 'best move'. I find it more interesting to give my best move against Fischer, which occurred in our first meeting." "

Mr. GM Benko enphasises on 19. h4!, as the topic of the article in chess.com is "best pawn move". "Waekening the king side" he says, even when both players castled king side.

Sure enough, the surprise move 7.Bg5!? (varying on Fuster's play against Fischer earlier in the tournament) provokes Fischer into unnecessarily giving up the centre. The right approach, says Benko, was 7....Nc6 8.d5 Nd4 9.Nxd4 exd4 10.Qxd4 h6 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 with compensation for the pawn.

Benko felt pretty good about things after 11....g5 and 13....d6 - he felt that Fischer was playing like a typical teenager in a positional game, psychologically incapable of solid, passive defense and creating weaknesses out of impatience.

With 14....Qa5, says Benko, he began "to appreciate the skills of [his] young opponent." The move is a positional sacrifice: if 15.Qxd6 Rfd8 16.Qa3 Qxa3 17.bxa3 and white's queenside is "a shambles."

But Benko was a step ahead and switched back to the kingside, showing that Fischer's queen was misplaced.

Benko was also impressed by 17....Qc7 and 23....Qf8, both of which showed good judgment.

After 26.Bxd8 Bd4+ turns the tables, but 26.Qg5! is a complete answer,

Indeed after 26. Bxd8 Qxd8 there are the threats Qh4 and Bd4+ (followed by Ne3+ winning back the exchange undergood circumstances).

I'm sad.

Bobby loved Benko and I'm sure the feeling was mutual.

I know Pal Benko thru Bobby but Pal Benko was a great chess player. Pretty sure he escaped the Ruskies clampdooooon in Hungary during the uprising there but will check it oooot.