Benoni Defense: Complete Guide

Unbalanced and sharp — Black accepts a space disadvantage for dynamic piece activity. Drill every main line against an adaptive engine, backed by real Lichess win rates and Stockfish evaluations.

46 variations 44,872,341 total games Avg Stockfish +0.60

Play the main line: Benoni Defense: Old Benoni

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All 46 variations of the Benoni Defense

Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Old Benoni ECO A43 18M games Gambits Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted ECO A43 5M games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: French Benoni ECO A43 2M games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense ECO A56 2M games Anti-Openings Benoni Defense ECO A60 2M games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Old Benoni: Nf3 ECO A43 1M games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Old Benoni: e3 ECO A43 1M games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Old Benoni: dxc5 ECO A43 1M games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Old Benoni: c4 ECO A43 1M games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense ECO A43 1M games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: French Benoni: exd5 ECO A43 890K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Modern Variation ECO A60 766K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted: Qa5+ ECO A43 744K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense: c4 ECO A43 615K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Hromádka System ECO A56 615K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Hromádka System ECO A56 615K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted: Nc6 ECO A43 465K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted: e6 ECO A43 257K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Nc3 ECO A56 211K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Nf3 ECO A56 211K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Old Benoni: d5 ECO A43 204K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted: e5 ECO A43 183K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: French Benoni: Nf6 ECO A43 158K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Old Benoni: c3 ECO A43 143K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: French Benoni: d6 ECO A43 139K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: d5 ECO A56 135K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order ECO A43 116K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Cormorant Gambit ECO A43 112K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted: b6 ECO A43 94K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted: Nf6 ECO A43 94K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Semi-Benoni ECO A44 84K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Czech Benoni Defense ECO A56 72K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: e3 ECO A56 56K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense: Nc3 ECO A43 40K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: dxc5 ECO A56 37K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Weenink Variation ECO A56 37K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit, Schlenker Defense ECO A43 29K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation ECO A43 25K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Woozle ECO A43 22K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Schmid Variation ECO A43 15K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Snail Variation ECO A43 7K games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: Hawk Variation ECO A43 6K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Zilbermints-Benoni Gambit ECO A43 1K games Gambits Benoni Defense: Benoni-Staunton Gambit ECO A43 805 games Openings & Plans Benoni Defense: French Benoni: e5 ECO A43 380 games Gambits Benoni Defense: Zilbermints-Benoni Gambit, Tamarkin Countergambit ECO A43 11 games

Frequently asked questions about the Benoni Defense

What is the benoni in chess?

The Benoni is a chess opening family with 46 variations covered on Chessy. Over 45 million Lichess games have reached these positions across all rating levels.