Tibor Weinberger of Santa Monica, California passed away on Thursday August 28, 2025. He was born on November 27, 1932 in Budapest, Hungary to Marton and Erzébet (née Teitelbaum) Weinberger. He was predeceased by his parents and his older sisters Hedvig (Hedi) Weinberger and Edit (Medi) Weinberger and older brother Meir (Mayerli) Weinberger.

Tibor’s immediate family survived the Holocaust. His father was impressed into forced service for the Hungarian army on the eastern front, though dying shortly after the war having contracted tuberculosis. His older siblings remained in Budapest during the German occupation in 1944, while Tibor and his younger brother Robert (Robi) went into hiding first in the Hungarian countryside and then in Budapest.

After the war and a brief stay in Szeged in southern Hungary as a refugee, he returned to Budapest to complete his secondary and university education, ultimately becoming a mechanical engineer. During this time, Tibor became an avid and accomplished chess player. After escaping Hungary during the 1956 revolution while on compulsory military duty, he was granted asylum in the United States in 1956 and ultimately moved to California where he lived for the remainder of his life.

Tibor continued in his profession as a mechanical engineer, then later as an income property owner. However, his true passion was chess. He achieved the rank of internationally recognized master, with a rating topping out of over 2400 in the 1970s. His ultimate accomplishment was competing for the United States championship alongside a select group of the best players in the country. At his peak, he defeated multiple grandmasters and was multi-time California champion.

Tibor leaves behind his wife of 37 years, Katalin Weinberger, of Santa Monica, California, five children and eight loving grandchildren, his younger brother Robi (who currently lives in Nice, France), nieces, nephews, cousins and other loved ones living around the world.