03/02/2017 Chess openings: Benko Gambit (A57)

MembersPrefsCollectionsOpeningsEndgamesSacrificesHistorySearchKibitzingKibitzer'sCafChessforums
TournamentIndexPlayers Kibitzing

BenkoGambit(A57)
1d4Nf62c4c53d5b5
Numberofgamesindatabase:3234
Yearscovered:1922to2017
Overallrecord:
Whitewins41.1%
Blackwins31.7%
Draws27.2%

Popularitygraph,bydecade

Explorethisopening|Searchforsacrificesinthisopening.
PRACTITIONERS
WiththeWhitePieces WiththeBlackPieces
GennadiTimoshchenko 22games LevAlburt 41games
IvanSokolov 18games JanPlachetka 39games
AlexeyDreev 17games GeraldHertneck 37games
NOTABLEGAMES[whatisthis?]
WhiteWins BlackWins
ShirovvsAHauchard,1990 AGreenfeldvsJuditPolgar,1989
KarpovvsTopalov,2002 MamedyarovvsCarlsen,2007
MamedyarovvsBGalstian,2002 KirilDGeorgievvsIRogers,1993
<<previouschapter nextchapter>>

page1of130games125of3,234
Game Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening
1.Rubinsteinvs A57Benko
10 47 1922 Vienna
Spielmann Gambit

2.RubinsteinvsJBlake 10 42 1923 Hastings1922/23

A57Benko
Gambit

3.EJacobsenvs 76 1923 Copenhagen

A57Benko
Spielmann Gambit

4.DRecavsReti 01 32 1924 BuenosAiresm

A57Benko
Gambit

5.EuwevsJBlake 10 67 1924 Weston

A57Benko
Gambit

6.DPodhorzervs 01 39 1933 Trebitschmem16th

A57Benko
Spielmann Gambit

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=A57 1/7
03/02/2017 Chess openings: Benko Gambit (A57)

A57Benko
7.EZinnervsLEngels 10 38 1936 MunichOlympiad
Gambit

8.EThorvaldssonvsP A57Benko
01 20 1936 MunichOlympiad
Vaitonis Gambit

9.MStolbergvsA 10 32 1937 chSKSpartak

A57Benko
Konstantinov Gambit

10.JacoboBolbochanvs A57Benko
01 62 1937 Stockholmol
Keres Gambit

11.VMakogonovvs 20 1938 URSchsf

A57Benko
Lisitsin Gambit

12.ABudovsLisitsin 10 46 1938
11thUSSR A57Benko
ChampionshipSemifinal Gambit

13.MStolbergvs 10 55 1940 URSsf

A57Benko
Bondarevsky Gambit

14.GIlivitskyvs A57Benko
30 1942 Sverdlovsk
Boleslavsky Gambit

15.GKarringvsKeres 01 31 1942 Tallinn,Estch

A57Benko
Gambit
A57Benko
16.KPruchavsKeres 64 1943 Prague(CzechRepublic)
Gambit

17.AlatortsevvsB 10 42 1945 USSRChampionship

A57Benko
Ratner Gambit

18.PBobekovvsJSefc 01 32 1950 CSRBUL

A57Benko
Gambit

19.WadevsWFairhurst 54 1953 Glasgowm

A57Benko
Gambit

20.Furmanvs A57Benko
10 77 1954 Bucharest
Nezhmetdinov Gambit

21.YShaposhnikovvs A57Benko
01 23 1954 WhiteRussia
Bastrikov Gambit

22.StahlbergvsFurman 17 1954 Bucharest

A57Benko
Gambit

23.BalanelvsKholmov 41 1954 Bucharest

A57Benko
Gambit

24.GKlugervsER 10 80 1954 Amsterdamol(Men)

A57Benko
Lundin Gambit

25.LilienthalvsA 10 28 1955 1/2

A57Benko
Mokatsian Gambit

page1of130games125of3,234
REFINESEARCH:Whitewins(10)|Blackwins(01)|Draws(1/21/2)

<EarlierKibitzingPAGE5OF5LaterKibitzing>
Jan1307 whatthefat:Inthelast2roundsofthelasttournamentIwentin,Ihadtherather
strangeexperienceofplayingthef3Benkoaseachcolour,bothtimesreachingthe
positionafter1.d4c52.d5Nf63.c4b54.cxb5a65.f3e66.e4exd57.e5Qe7
8.Qe2Ng89.Nc3Bb7.

InthegameIplayedaswhite,wefollowedtheorytothe16thmove!Itlaterturned
outwe'dstudiedthesameopeningtext.Unfortunatelyforme,Ihadn'tlookedatit
withintheweeksbeforethetournament...

Thegamecontinued:
10.Nh3c411.Be3Qb4(11...axb512.000Qb4ismoreusual)12.000axb5
13.Nf4Ne714.Qf2!?

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=A57 2/7
03/02/2017 Chess openings: Benko Gambit (A57)

<<Thisavoidsthedeeplydiscussedqueensacrificeline:14.Bb6h515.Rxd5
Qxc3+!!16.bxc3Nxd5withaveryuncleargame.Whiteisprobablyobjectively
better,butit'seasyforblacktogenerateadangerousattackontheblackking.The
classicexampleisBLalicvsKhalifman,1997>

14...Qa515.Bb6Qa616.Rxd5(therookcan'tbetaken,otherwiseawhiteknight
willmakeittoc7)16...Bc6

andtoherewehavebeenfollowingLimChuinHoong,RonnievsWongZiJing,
2000whichcontinued17.a3.Icertainlyconsideredthemove,butIhadtoadmitto
myselfthatIcouldn'trememberanyfurther,soItriedtolookattheposition
completelyafresh.Thisledtomeplayingtheratherbizarrenovelty17.Rxb5?!?

clickforlargerview

Themainideabeingtofreethed5squarefortheknights.Whitegetssomeokay
compensation,butnotenough.Playcontinued17...Bxb518.Nfd5(Perhaps
strongerwouldhavebeen18.Ne4)18...Nxd519.Nxd5Qxa2!(nowIrealisedIwas
insomerealtrouble)20.Nc7+Kd821.Nxb5+Kc822.Na7+Kb723.Qd4reaching
thisbizarreposition:

clickforlargerview

Bothsidesarewellbehindinkingsidedevelopmentandhaveexposedkings,butit
turnsoutwhite'sisinmoredanger,andIshouldhavebeenbeatenfairlyquickly
fromhere.IntheendIwasluckytostruggleintoanendingdownapiece,butwith
anextrapawnandaninitiative,andthegamewaseventuallydrawn.

Moral:Arooksacrificeasanoveltyshouldusuallybeavoided!
May0307 FICSwoodpusher:Doesanyonehereplaytheblumenfeldcountergambit.Ithink
therearesomegoodideasbehindthisopeningintheorybutoftenIdon'tgetthe
bestreultswithitinpractice.
May0307 MarmotPFL:Whitewillhaveastatisticaledgeinanyrespectableopening.These
statsarenotbadforblackbutthisisnotanopeningtoplayforadraw.Probably
tooriskyformatchesorstrongroundrobinsbutfineforswisses.
Jun1507 WarmasterKron:<Sneaky>Re,bringingBenkoplayersoutoftheircomfortzone
byplayingawayfromthemainline.IsometimesplaytheBenko,andIgetaround
thispotentialproblembyhavinglittletonoworkingknowledgeofthemainline.I
prefertobeflexibleinmyignorance.)
Aug2007 EdwinMeyer:Statisticsaren'tthatbadforBlackwhenyoutakealookatthemin
ChessBase'sMegaBase2007

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=A57 3/7
03/02/2017 Chess openings: Benko Gambit (A57)

109373=39%total:52%
1/21/26450=27%
018281=34%total:48%

Sobyallmeans,playtheBenkoifthat'swhatyoulike)
Nov2707 notyetagm:http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_l...

<BENKOGAMBIT,WHYYOUSHOULDPLAYg6BEFOREBxa6

Mr.Ortnerasks:

IusuallydontcaretoupdatetheopeningsIplay.Thatswhymyreferencebook
fortheBenkogambitisfrom1991(bySuetin).

Recently,IcameacrossareviewofNeilMcDonaldsnewbookTHEBENKOGAMBIT
REVEALED,whereIreadthefollowing:

...heexplainswhyyouhavetoplayg6beforetakingona6withthebishop.

IdontknowMcDonaldsbookandwonderedwhatswrongwithtakingona6with
thebishopimmediately.Moreover,mybookdoesntseeanythingwrongwiththe
line1.d4Nf62.c4c53.d5b54.cxb5a65.bxa6Bxa6either.

Istherereallysomethinglikearefutationofthisline?ShouldIthinkaboutbuying
anewopeningbookfortheBenko?

Silmanreplies:
Alotofthingschangeintheoryinaveryshorttime,buttheneedtogetnewbooks
andkeepupwiththosechangesdependsonthelevelofcompetitionyouface.If
youreaserioustournamentcompetitor,youreallyshouldupgrade.Ifyoujustplay
forfunonlineorwithfriends,thentheresnoreasontodoso.

Theviewthatanimmediate5Bxa6isinaccuratehasbeengenerallyacceptedfor
acoupledecades.However,thisisbasedontheassessmentofthefollowingline:
1.d4Nf62.c4c53.d5b54.cxb5a65.bxa6Bxa66.g3d67.Bg2g68.b3!Bg79.Bb2
0010.Nh3Nbd711.00andthoughBlackhastriedjustabouteverypossible
moveandidea,Whiteseemstocomeoutontop.

Becauseofthis,5g6becameBlacksmainchoice.NowBlackcanmeet6.b3Bg7
7.Bb2008.g3with8Nxa69.Bg2Bb7whenBlackisdoingwellduetothe
possibilitiesofNb4and/ore6.

Inanutshell,youlosenothingbychoosing5g6,sinceyoucanalwayshackoff
thepawnlaterbyBxa6.Sincetheresnodownside,whynotusethismove,which
keepsyouroptionsopenandguardsagainstthedoublefianachettolinementioned
above?>
Dec1207 GeauxCool:<notyetagm>Thanksforthis.It'sstrangehowblackhadtostruggle
beforefindingg6asananswertoasinglesharpline.

AswhiteIneveracceptthata6pawn,thenyou'realmostalwaysstuckwithhand
castling,andwhatseemstobealostendgame.

Attheinteractivechessok.comisarybkaengine,onthehardestlevelitwillallow
thebenkogambit,andsometimesplaythehandcastlesversionaswhite.It'sfast,
andgoodpracticeifyoucan'taffordtherealrybka/fritzsetup,orcan'tgetto
anythingelseotherwise.
Dec1307 Shams:IjuststartedplayingtheBenko,andInoticealotofblitzplayersmeet
3...b5with4.b3.Mybookdoesn'tevenmentionthismove(oritmightandI
haven'tseenit.)Whatdoyouguysplayagainstthisasblack?
Dec1307 WannaBe:Dear<Shams>:

Ifyoustillhaveyourprem.membership,you'dknowtheanswer.=)

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=A57 4/7
03/02/2017 Chess openings: Benko Gambit (A57)

4...e62games,all01

4...bxc4ChristianManleyvsJRosenberg,200101

4...g6CAarnesvsJLunnanHjort,200101

4...b4AldoMuradorevsLNedimovic,200201
Dec1307Shams:thanks<WannaBe>.Iprobablyshouldreup.:)
Dec1307 whatthefat:<Shams>

4.b3wasdiscussedonpage3ofthisthread.After4...bxc4Whiteisprettymuch
strugglingforequality.
Jan2808 bachwei:anycommentsonhowtoplay,after...a6byblack,againstwhite's:b6

ora4insteadofwhite'straditionalba
Jun1808 mmmsplay10:randomquestion
doanyofyouknowthewhiteresponseto

1.d4Nf62.c4c53.d5b54.cxb5a65.bxa6Bxa66.Nc3d67.e4Bxf18.Kxf1
<H4!?>Thismovestopsthetypicalg4andKg2planforwhite?WHATTODO?????
Jun1908 mmmsplay10:<backwei>agoodlinetoconsideragainstb6isd6,followedbya
laterNd7b6.ifheplaysa4afterplayingb6,youcaneitherplaya5,tostophim
fromplaya5,soyoucanstilltaketheb6pawnwithyourknight,oryoucanplay
Qb6,andaftera5,playeitherQb8orQb4,andthenjustcontinuewithnormal
benkostrategy,fianchetto,castlekingside,andtearaparthisqueensideasfastas
youcan.
Jun1908 mmmsplay10:1.d4Nf62.c4c53.d5b54.cxb5a65.bxa6Bxa66.Nc3d6

clickforlargerview

.e4Bxf18.Kxf1<H4!?>Thismovestopsthetypicalg4andKg2planforwhite?
WHATTODO?????
Jun1908 AgentRgent:<Shams:IjuststartedplayingtheBenko,andInoticealotofblitz
playersmeet3...b5with4.b3.Whatdoyouguysplayagainstthisasblack?>I
play4...bxc45.bxc4Qb6!?andhaveanprettyconvincingscoreinthisline.
Oct2808 Toastman:Cancompaniesbuytheirownchessvariationnamethesedays?

BenkoGambit:ZaitsevVariation.NescafeFrappeAttack
Oct2908 whiteshark:e.g.aBATVariation.LuckyStrikeAttack

Dec0611 Penguincw:OpeningoftheDay

TheBenkoGambit
1.d4f62.c4c53.d5b5

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=A57 5/7
03/02/2017 Chess openings: Benko Gambit (A57)

clickforlargerview

Jan1412 Penguincw:Sameopeningtodayastheabovepost.

Jul2513 PhilFeeley:Interesting.NogameherebyBenkohimselfuntil1969!Surelythere
mustbesomeearlierones?

Jul2513 Nerwal:<Interesting.NogameherebyBenkohimselfuntil1969!Surelythere
mustbesomeearlierones?>

TherearesomegamesplayedbyBenkabitearlier:MVukicvsBenko,1967,but
essentiallythemodernBenkgambitbecameamainstreamopeningaround1969.
OfcourseBenkisbynomeansthefirstplayertousethemoveorder1.d4f6
2.c4c53.d5b5,noteventhefirstplayertofollow4.cxb5withtheimmediate4...
a6:SzabovsERLundin,1948
Jul2713 waustad:Perhapsitismorethathewroteaboutit,publishingabookonthe
openingin'74.Goingbythisdatabase,GezaMaroczyneverplayedthec4e4pawn
structureagainsttheSicilian,sothenameforthatoneisamysterytoo.Namingis
alsoratherlocalandoftenpolitical.DuringtheColdWarBenkowasahotissue.
Jul1314IFNB:AnyBenkoGambiteersinthehouse?
Jul1314Shams:<IFNB>IplayiteverychanceIget!
Jumptopage# 5 go (enter#from1to5)

<EarlierKibitzingPAGE5OF5LaterKibitzing>

NOTE:Youneedtopickausernameandpasswordto Pleaseobserveourposting
postareply.Gettingyouraccounttakeslessthana guidelines:
minute,totallyanonymous,and100%freeplus,it 1.Noobscene,racist,sexist,or
entitlesyoutofeaturesotherwiseunavailable.Pickyour profanelanguage.
2.Nospamming,advertising,or
usernamenowandjointhechessgamescommunity! duplicatingposts.
3.Nopersonalattacksagainstother
Ifyoualreadyhaveanaccount,youshouldloginnow. members.
4.NothinginviolationofUnitedStates
law.
5.Nopostingpersonalinformationof
members.

Seesomethingthat
violatesourrules?Blow
thewhistleandinform
anadministrator.

NOTE:Keepalldiscussiononthetopic
ofthispage.Thisforumisforthis
specificopeningandnothingelse.If
youwanttodiscusschessingeneral,or
thissite,youmighttrytheKibitzer's
Caf.

MessagespostedbyChessgamesmembersdonotnecessarilyrepresenttheviewsofChessgames.com,itsemployees,orsponsors.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=A57 6/7
03/02/2017 Chess openings: Benko Gambit (A57)

home|about|login|logout|F.A.Q.|yourprofile|preferences|PremiumMembership|
Kibitzer'sCaf|Biographer'sBistro|newkibitzing|chessforums|TournamentIndex|
PlayerDirectory|WorldChessChampionships|OpeningExplorer|GuesstheMove|
GameCollections|ChessBookieGame|ChessgamesChallenge|Store|privacynotice|advertising
|contactus

Copyright20012017,ChessgamesServicesLLC

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=A57 7/7