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    Xhgfedcbay 1Rsnlmkqvl-Tr! 2Zppzpp+-Zpp" 3-+-+-Sn-+# 4+-+-+-+-$ 5-+-+Pzp-+% 6+-Sn-Zp-+L& 7Pzppzp-+-+' 8Tr-Vlkwq-Snr (Xhgfedcbay

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    Ridwan Susanto
    The Benko Gambit is a positional opening where Black sacrifices a queenside pawn early. In return, Black aims to gain development advantages and control of open files and diagonals. Though down a pawn, Black can often equalize or even gain the advantage through pressure on White's queenside. Key ideas include exploiting the d3 square and undermining White's pawn structure in the queenside. While memorizing variations isn't necessary, understanding Black's compensation and plans is important for playing this gambit.

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    Xhgfedcbay 1Rsnlmkqvl-Tr! 2Zppzpp+-Zpp" 3-+-+-Sn-+# 4+-+-+-+-$ 5-+-+Pzp-+% 6+-Sn-Zp-+L& 7Pzppzp-+-+' 8Tr-Vlkwq-Snr (Xhgfedcbay

    Uploaded by

    Ridwan Susanto
    97 views4 pages
    The Benko Gambit is a positional opening where Black sacrifices a queenside pawn early. In return, Black aims to gain development advantages and control of open files and diagonals. Though down a pawn, Black can often equalize or even gain the advantage through pressure on White's queenside. Key ideas include exploiting the d3 square and undermining White's pawn structure in the queenside. While memorizing variations isn't necessary, understanding Black's compensation and plans is important for playing this gambit.

    Original Description:

    principles of Benko gambit for black player

    Original Title

    Benko Principles

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    The Benko Gambit is a positional opening where Black sacrifices a queenside pawn early. In return, Black aims to gain development advantages and control of open files and diagonals. Though down a pawn, Black can often equalize or even gain the advantage through pressure on White's queenside. Key ideas include exploiting the d3 square and undermining White's pawn structure in the queenside. While memorizing variations isn't necessary, understanding Black's compensation and plans is important for playing this gambit.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as rtf, pdf, or txt
    97 views4 pages

    Xhgfedcbay 1Rsnlmkqvl-Tr! 2Zppzpp+-Zpp" 3-+-+-Sn-+# 4+-+-+-+-$ 5-+-+Pzp-+% 6+-Sn-Zp-+L& 7Pzppzp-+-+' 8Tr-Vlkwq-Snr (Xhgfedcbay

    Uploaded by

    Ridwan Susanto
    The Benko Gambit is a positional opening where Black sacrifices a queenside pawn early. In return, Black aims to gain development advantages and control of open files and diagonals. Though down a pawn, Black can often equalize or even gain the advantage through pressure on White's queenside. Key ideas include exploiting the d3 square and undermining White's pawn structure in the queenside. While memorizing variations isn't necessary, understanding Black's compensation and plans is important for playing this gambit.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as rtf, pdf, or txt
    of 4
    At a glance
    Powered by AI
    The key takeaways are that the Benko Gambit is a positional gambit where Black sacrifices a queenside pawn in return for long-term positional advantages like a strong pawn structure and open files for rooks. It leads to interesting endgames that are often better for Black.

    In return for the sacrificed pawn, Black gains a strong pawn structure, good bishop diagonals, and half-open files for the rooks.

    Benko endgames are often better for Black because with queens off, Black can play f7-f5 to break up White's centre and Black's protected passed pawn on c5 is often stronger than White's passed a-pawn.

    Benko Gambit – some basic principles

    (based mainly on work by GM Lev Alburt)

    The Benko Gambit is a positional gambit, in which Black sacrifices a queenside pawn. It is
    named after the Hungarian-American GM Pal Benko, who developed many of this opening’s
    basic ideas through playing it on the American circuit in the late 1960s. Over the years,
    different move orders have evolved, but for illustrative purposes we shall adopt what is now
    regarded as an old-fashioned move order of the Benko Accepted:

    1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 Bxa6 6.Nc3 d6


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    Now White has an important decision to make: move the e-pawn and give up castling rights,
    or fianchetto the Bf1, leaving Black’s bishop in charge of the f1-a6 diagonal.

    The basic Benko pawn-structure


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    The Benko usually leads to a pawn structure similar to the above. White has an extra (passed)
    a-pawn.

    What is Black’s compensation for the sacrificed pawn?


    In return for the pawn, Black has some long-lasting positional advantages: an excellent pawn
    structure (one huge pawn-island), good diagonals for his bishops, half-open a- and b- files for
    his rooks.

    1
    Even if Black’s queenside attack gets thrown back, the great Benko pawn structure gives
    Black a solid position to fall back on defensively, so that he has good drawing chances.

    In the opening, Black gains a lead in ahead in development for the pawn - notice that the
    Ra8 is already ‘developed’!

    Black has a clear plan for the middle-game – to put pressure on White's queenside pawns.

    The main danger to the black position is NOT the passed white a-pawn, but a possible break
    in the centre with e4-e5, breaking up Black’s Benko pawn structure.

    The Benko endgame paradox


    It is not normally a good idea to go into an endgame a pawn down. But, paradoxically, most
    Benko endgames are better for Black, so Black should generally be happy to exchange queens
    - an exception can be if White's king is still in the centre.

    Why should Benko endgames be good for Black?


    a) Black is intending to play on the queenside, and this may leave his kingside vulnerable –
    with queens off Black has less chance of getting mated.
    b) With the queens off, it often becomes possible for Black to play the move f7-f5, breaking
    up White’s centre.

    Don’t get anxious about being material down


    In the Benko, Black should not hurry to regain the sacrificed pawn - it is usually much better
    to try to turn up the pressure. It follows that Black should not win back the gambit pawn if
    this means giving up his positional trumps.

    If Black CAN regain the pawn whilst keeping his positional trumps, he is usually much better.
    For instance, in the Benko endgame, if Black has captured the b2 pawn, Black’s protected
    passed pawn at c5 tends to be much stronger than White's passed a-pawn. Even when the
    black c-pawn advances from the protected c5 square, it is usually stronger than White’s a-
    pawn, since its advance often cuts the white forces in two.

    Where to develop the black queen?


    The best placing of the black queen in the Benko Gambit Accepted is not easy. If the white
    king ends up at g2, then the black queen is sometimes best placed on the same diagonal, at b7
    or a8, supporting the centre-busting e7-e6 lever. If the light-squared bishops are exchanged,
    the black queen is sometimes well placed at a6, even if this leads to an exchange of queens.
    However, most commonly the queen goes to a5 or b6 (more rarely c7) in the opening, and
    often on to a6 in the middle-game.

    Qa5 - In the early days of the Benko Gambit, by far the most popular spot for the black queen
    was on a5, to put pressure on the Nc3 and prevent White from playing b3. Then Black would
    manoeuvre a knight to c4 or a4.
    Qb6 - From b6 the queen puts direct pressure on b2 and indirect pressure on f2.
    Qc7 - On c7 the queen is less active but also less exposed. The black rooks have clear lines
    of fire down the a- and b- files.
    Qa6 - It is often good to place the black queen opposite the white queen on this diagonal. It
    can often lead to an exchange of queens, which often leads to a better endgame for Black.

    Exchange the defender


    It is frequently a good idea for Black in the Benko to try to exchange White’s Nc3, e.g. by
    Nd7-b6-a4. Once the Nc3 is exchanged, it is usually much harder for White to defend his
    queenside.

    2
    If the queenside pawns are all exchanged, Black is usually better

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    A typical Benko pawn-position in which all the queenside pawns have disappeared. This tends
    to leave Black with the better chances, since the white pawn structure is usually easier to
    attack and the white king often comes under pressure.

    Advancing the c5 pawn to c4


    Black is often able to advance the c-pawn to c4, to break up White's queenside or to support a
    knight outpost at d3. But note that advancing the c-pawn can be dangerous for Black a) if
    White is able to reply with b3-b4, or b) if White is able to reply with Nd4-c6.

    Try to leave the kingside pawns unmoved


    The Black pawn structure on the kingside is best left unmoved. Occasionally you will want to
    play h6 to chase away a Bg5; think carefully before doing this, since it weakens g6. If White
    develops his king’s knight on f4 (via h3), there is a temptation to hit it with g6-g5 – this
    should only be done if it achieves something immediate and concrete. Finally, the central
    lever e7-e6 should only be played in very special circumstances, since it loosens Black’s solid
    pawn structure and “things will never be the same again”.

    The d3 square
    Once White has played e2-e4, Black should look for an opportunity to exploit the weakened
    d3 square, e.g. by Ng4-e5-d3, supported by the bishop (or queen) at a6 or by a pawn at c4.

    White’s queenside clamp


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    Even if White succeeds in setting up a strong defensive position on the queenside (see above)
    Black should not despair; he can try to exchange off the knights and maybe the light-squared

    3
    bishops on b5, and it will not be easy for White to make progress. Alternatively, Black can try
    to break things up by e7-e6.

    White’s dark squared bishop is an important piece


    Black should generally be more than happy to exchange White’s dark-squared bishop for a
    knight. Once its opponent has disappeared from the scene, the black “dragon” bishop on g7 is
    usually very strong in attack and defence.

    What if White doesn’t accept the Benko Gambit?


    This is already a small moral victory for Black, since by declining it White is implicitly
    admitting that the Benko Gambit is sound, and that he is afraid of Black’s compensation if the
    pawn is accepted. Nevertheless, White has some sound methods of declining that gambit, and
    even a few that can be quite dangerous if Black does not know how to respond.

    You don’t need to memorise many variations


    There are in fact only a few lines in the Benko, accepted or declined, that require you to play
    with absolute precision. Against most white systems, Black has more than one satisfactory
    way of playing. Often there is a choice between a cutting-edge variation, which leads to
    critical positions, and a quieter system which maybe accepts a slight inferiority but which is
    quite playable.

    Phil Adams, 3Cs Chess Club, Oldham.

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