Friday, July 13, 2012

Celebrity Sighting

He's a celebrity to me, though most of you wouldn't know him.

I was on the bus coming home from work when a couple got on and the woman sat near me. The bus was crowded so there weren't many places to sit. Since they were older than me, I decided to stand up and allow the man to sit down next to the woman I assumed was his wife. When I saw his face, though, I instantly recognized him as the famous American-Hungarian Grandmaster of chess Pal Benko.
Benko was a contemporary of the legendary American world champion Bobby Fischer. I saw Benko in 2008 in Reykjavik when he attended the Bobby Fischer Memorial Tournament (in which I did very well, almost beating an international master, though I messed it up and only got a draw instead). I didn't get to speak with Mr. Benko that time, but I did this time.

I said hello, and he asked if I recognized him. I said I always read his columns in Chess Life, and I told him that I saw him in Iceland. He asked where I worked, and I told him. He than asked if I was playing in the chess tournament series in Budapest. I told him I don't get much free time, but I did play in it last November. Sadly, my stop had already arrived, so I had to get off and couldn't speak further with him.

I would never want to bother someone like him, but he and his wife seemed nice. It would have been awesome to invite them to dinner or something, but I would never want to impose.

9 comments:

  1. You should go to the tournament, and talk to him again. Carpe Diem, Ted.

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  2. Wow, neat that you got to talk with a celebrity. I hope you go to the tournament and speak with him again. He did seem rather nice.

    .....dhole

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  3. Very cool. I'm sure chess players aren't that often recognized. He probably appreciated it.

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  4. You play chess to that standard? Now that is something worth I didn't know before.

    I hope you get to meet him again.

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  5. Martin, I'm no grandmaster. I'm an amateur, though good enough that I once got first place in the US Amateur Championship. And I have a master rating in correspondence chess. I don't get to play enough, sadly.

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  6. I would totally impose on you if I saw you and you're a movie star. I guess I have no manners. I'd invite you to dinner and be really put out when you didn't show up.

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  7. Oh, what fun! I suspect in the grand scheme of the broad population he doesn't get recognized all that often and so enjoys recognition by a true fan. It would have been neat to sit down for a beer or a cup of coffee.

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  8. We are all just people looking for love, even the famous and recognizable.

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