Benoni Defense
The Benoni Defense is a fighting way for Black to respond to White's 1.d4. The Benoni is a common opening among club-level players and an excellent weapon for aggressive players. Although not as common among elite grandmasters, many strong grandmasters have utilized the Benoni throughout their careers. Its most prominent follower was former world champion GM Mikhail Tal, who won fantastic attacking games in the opening.
Starting Position
The Benoni Defense is characterized by an early c7-c5 push by Black in response to White's d2-d4. Today, players mostly reach the Benoni via the sequence 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5.
Black immediately creates imbalances in the position, which leads to more decisive games. Black concedes White a space advantage in the center, giving them more freedom to maneuver their pieces. Black gets more active play on the dark squares and an extra queenside pawn that can be dangerous if properly mobilized.
Pros
- Unbalances the pawn structure early
- Some lines are straightforward to play
- Can lead to attacking positions for Black
Cons
- Gives White a space advantage
- Some lines are risky for Black
- Black's position can easily become cramped
Main Variations Of Benoni Defense
There are quite a few systems Black can choose from to play the Benoni, each leading to a specific kind of game. Below you can see the main variations of the Benoni.
Old Benoni
The Old Benoni starts after the moves 1.d4 c5. Black immediately plays ...c5 without any preparatory or developing move. If White takes the pawn, Black can regain it without trouble after moves like ...Qa5+, ...Na6, or ...e6. If White advances the d-pawn instead, players reach the main line of the Old Benoni.
As the name indicates, this variation is not as common as it used to be, with players preferring to develop the f-knight before pushing the c-pawn.
Modern Benoni
The Modern Benoni occurs with the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5. Black develops their f-knight and waits for White's second move before showing their cards. Black's 2...c5 threatens to exchange a wing pawn for White's central d-pawn, so White usually responds with 3.d5.
If White does play 3.d5, they gain space in the center of the board but leave weak dark squares behind. Black can take advantage of these dark-square weaknesses by developing their dark-squared bishop to g7.
Czech Benoni
The Czech Benoni happens after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5. Black plays for a closed, slower game since taking the pawn en passant with 4.dxe6 would give Black a strong center and a slight advantage. The resulting pawn structure will cause both players to have a bad bishop. Black will usually play for the f7-f5 or the b7-b5 break, while White will try to prevent those plans and cramp their opponent's position.
Snake Benoni
The Snake Benoni starts after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 Bd6. Black's 5...Bd6 may seem optically strange, but it allows the dark-squared bishop to control the e5-square. This move makes it more difficult for White to carry out the thematic Benoni e4-e5 break.
Black can maneuver the bishop with Bd6-c7-a5 to pressure White's kingside in this variation. Another plan for Black involves quickly castling, activating the rook with ...Re8, and dropping the bishop back to f8.
Benko Gambit
The Benko Gambit is the most popular line of the Benoni, and it starts after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5. Black sacrifices a pawn to get quick and easy development. Black also enjoys good counterplay on the queenside if White decides to accept the gambit.
Many lines and ideas stem from Black's third move. To read more about the Benko Gambit, click here.
History Of The Benoni Defense
The Benoni Defense was first analyzed in 1825 by Aaron Reinganum. Reinganum published a book analyzing responses to the Queen's Gambit and King's Gambit. The book was called Ben-Oni oder die Vertheidigungen gegen die Gambitzüge im Schache (Ben-Oni, or the defenses against the Gambit moves in chess).
Reinganum explained that he named the book Ben-Oni, a Hebrew name that means "son of my sorrow" because he wrote about chess to "take refuge from melancholy." Ben-Oni was not related to the opening itself but was the name of his writings about gambits.
In the book, he analyzed Black's 1...c5 as an answer to White's 1.e4. This defense was employed in 1843 by Pierre de Saint-Amant in his unofficial world championship match against Howard Staunton. Saint-Amant later wrote: "This start is not favorable to the second player. Benoni gives a few examples; but it wastes the first player's time, depriving them of all the advantages of a good opening."
Eventually, 1.d4 c5 became known as the Old Benoni. The opening was later improved by masters, who preferred delaying the c7-c5 push. The Benoni then rose to popularity in the 1950s and 60s thanks to the efforts of GM Mikhail Tal. Its fighting nature and tactical games made it a popular choice among good tacticians, with players like GM Bobby Fischer and GM Garry Kasparov including it in their repertoire.
Although not as common in elite-level play as it used to be, the Benoni is very popular among club-level players.