Benko was born on July 15, 1928, in Amiens, France, where his Hungarian parents were on vacation.

[2] He eventually escaped to his home, only to find that his brother and father had been sent to Russia as laborers, and his mother died as the war neared its conclusion.

[1] Benko made rapid progress once he began tournament play and became Hungarian champion by age 20.

[1] He emigrated to the United States in 1958 after defecting following the World Student Team Championship in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1957.

[6] 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.

Benko also qualified for the 1970 Interzonal tournament, but gave up his spot to Bobby Fischer, who went on to win the World Championship in 1972.

[16] Benko defeated four players who held the World Champion title at some point.

[17] After Fischer retired, Benko was one of the few players with whom he maintained contact; reportedly, the two corresponded every week.