Géza Füster, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetGéza Füster
hungarian-Canadian chess player
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Budapest, Hungary
About Géza Füster
- Géza Füster (19 February 1910 in Budapest, Hungary – 30 December 1990 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) was a Hungarian-Canadian chess International Master. Born in Budapest, Füster won his first of many Budapest Championships in 1936.
- During World War II, he played in several strong tournaments.
- In 1941, he won the Hungarian Championship.
- In 1941, he took 4th, behind Jan Foltys, Jozsef Szily and Ludovit Potucek, in Trencianske Teplice. In September 1941, he took 11th out of 16 competitors at Munich with 6.5/15, but drew his game with World Champion Alexander Alekhine.
- The event was won by Gösta Stoltz.
- In September 1942, he tied for 3rd-5th in Munich (München B, Qualification Tournament).
- In 1943, he took 2nd, behind Gedeon Barcza, in Diosgyör (Hungarian championship).
- In 1943, he won in Kolozsvár.
- In 1943-44, he won the Hungarian correspondence championship. After the war, he defected.
- He planned to cross the border at East Berlin with Pal Benko.
- Füster made it across the border, but Benko was apprehended and sent to prison for nearly three years.
- Fuster made it to Canada in 1953, settling in Toronto.
- Füster's first success in his new land was winning the Toronto City Championship in 1954; he repeated in 1955, 1956, 1962, 1969, and 1971 (shared).Füster played in many Canadian championships.
- In 1955, he took 6th in Ottawa (Closed Canadian Chess Championship).
- In 1955, he was Canadian Speed Champion.
- In 1957, he won the U.S.
- Speed Championship.
- He took 2nd, behind Povilas Vaitonis, in the 1957 Closed Canadian Championship in Vancouver.
- He played and took last place in the Interzonal at Portorož in 1958. Füster also represented Canada in two Chess Olympiads in 1958 at Munich (8.5/14 on board 4; (+5 =7 -2)), and in 1970 at Siegen (+1 =1 -4) as second reserve.He was awarded the International Master title in 1969, following his strong performance in the Closed Canadian Chess Championship, held at Pointe-Claire. Füster was a fixture at the YMCA Chess Club and later the Toronto Chess Club.
- He was a lover of speed chess, very generous with advice and encouragement to young players, and beloved for his aphorisms.
- When an opponent played a dubious move he would always say: "When a player is weak I say: 'Will you come again to play tomorrow?'"He died at Toronto in 1990.
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