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Thursday, July 2, 2026

Geza Fuster

    
Geza Fuster (1910 in Budapest, Hungary – 1990 in Toronto, Canada) was a Hungarian-Canadian IM. He won his first of many Budapest Championships in 1936 and during World War II he played in several strong tournaments with modest results. In 1941, although he only finished 11th out of 16 at Munich, he managed to hold World Champion Alekhine to a draw. 
    He defected after the war. Along with Pal Pal Benko, he crossed the border in East Berlin. Fuster made it, but Benko was apprehended and sent to prison for nearly three years. Fuster made his way to Canada in 1953, settling in Toronto. He won the Toronto City Championship in 1954,1955, 1956, 1962, 1969, and shared it in 1971.
    Fuster played in many Canadian championships and in 1955 he was Canadian Speed Champion. In 1957, he won the U.S. Speed Championship. He represented Canada in two Chess Olympiads, in 1958 at Munich and in 1970 at Siegen.He was awarded the IM title in 1969, following his strong performance in the Closed Canadian Championship. A fixture at the YMCA Chess Club and later the Toronto Chess Club, he loved to play speed chess and was known for his willingness of offer advice and encouragement to young players. 
    In the following game he demonstrates the power fo a fianchettoed B and control of the c-file with some strong tactical play against an opponent who, at the time, was one of the top 10 players in the world. 
  A game that I liked (Fritz 17)
[Event "Hungarian Champ, Budapest"] [Site ""] [Date "1947.09.29"] [Round "?"] [White "Geza Fuster"] [Black "Laszlo Szabo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E01"] [Annotator "Stockfish 18"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1947.09.11"] {E01: Catalan} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {Black has two main options. He can play ...dxc4 and either try to hold on to the Paw with ...b5 or return it for time to free his position. In the Closed Catalan black doesn’t capture on c4 which leaves his position somewhat cramped, but solid.} d5 4. Bg2 {Here black usually plays either 4...Be7 or 4...dxc4, or sometimes 4...Bb4.} c5 {This is a seldom used sideline that is not particularly effective.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Be7 (6... cxd4 7. Nxd4 Bc5 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Nd7 11. Rb1 Nb6 12. Nb3 Be7 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Na5 {Dlugy,M (2485)-Taylor,T (2480) New York 1985. White used his slight advantage to squeeze out a win.}) 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O O-O 9. Qc2 Nd7 10. a3 Qc7 11. e4 Bb6 12. Qe2 Ne7 13. Nc3 a6 14. Bd2 {White has a clear lead in development and black is a bit cramped. Here or on the next move black should remove his Q from the c-file with ...Qb8 even though that helps neither his development nor his cramp.} Nc6 15. Rac1 {Planting the seed of victory.} Nde5 16. Nxe5 $1 {A brilliant tactical shot.} Qxe5 (16... Nxe5 { is not rea;lly better, but it is probably his best practical chance.} 17. Na4 Nc6 18. Bb4 Rd8 {At first glance black seems to have defended himself, but white steps up the pressure with} 19. e5 Ba7 20. Bd6 Qd7 21. Qg4 {Black is at a loss for a decent continuation.} f6 (21... Ne7 22. Rc7) 22. exf6 Qf7 23. Rfd1 {with a decisive advantage. For example} Qxf6 24. Bc5 Bxc5 25. Rxd8+ Qxd8 26. Nxc5 {White's positional advantage should prove decisive.}) 17. Bf4 $1 { An important followup to his last move.} Qa5 18. Bd6 $1 {Another strong followup.} Rd8 19. e5 $1 {Unleashing the power of the B on g2. Black underestimates the strength of the threat of 20.Bxc6 or else he would have played 19...Nd4 which was his best practical chance.} f5 $2 (19... Nd4 20. Qe4 f6 21. Be7 Qxe5 22. Qxe5 fxe5 23. Bxd8 Bxd8 24. Rfe1 Bd7 25. Rxe5 {This is Stockfish's top line and white is the exchange up.}) 20. Bxc6 bxc6 21. Bb4 { The Q is trapped and there is only one way to save it.} Bxf2+ 22. Rxf2 Qc7 23. Bd6 Qa5 24. Qc4 {Black resigned. There is no forced win for white, but further play os a waste of time.} (24. Qc4 {and now the top engine line is} Kh8 25. Ne2 Qb5 26. Nd4 Qxc4 27. Rxc4 {White has won a piece and black is completely tied yp.}) 1-0

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