János Flesch was a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, known for achieving the world record for playing the most games of chess simultaneously. He was also an accomplished author of several chess books.
Flesch was born on 30 June 1933 in Budapest, Hungary. He learnt to play chess at the age of twelve and soon became a top junior player. He became an International Master in 1963 before achieving the Grandmaster title in 1980.
His major successes in chess tournaments include shared first place in the 1962/63 Hastings Premier, shared second place in the 1964/65 Hastings Premier, and second place in the 1971 Praia da Rocha Zonal tournament.
Flesch held the world record for playing the maximum number of opponents in simultaneous chess games. In 1960, he played 52 opponents without sight of the boards, scoring 31 wins, 3 draws, and 18 losses. Later in 1980, he played 687 opponents in 32 hours with 592 wins, 46 draws, and 49 losses.
In addition to chess, Flesch was also a successful bridge player. His chess books are still popular and influential among aspiring chess players.
Flesch tragically died in a car accident in England in 1983 alongside his wife whilst on the way to a chess tournament.