- The moves1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOA60–A79
- Also calledBenoni Defense, the Benoni
The Modern Benoni comes after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6. Black soon captures on d5, and then White has a pawn majority in the center and Black one on the queenside. Black's king's bishop goes to g7, where it aims along the long diagonal. The position is unbalanced from the start, and that is the point: Black plays for counterattack, not for equality.
The name Benoni comes from Aaron Reinganum's book Ben-Oni of 1825. The modern line was first played by Frank Marshall at the New York tournament of 1927. He drew with José Raúl Capablanca but lost to Aron Nimzowitsch, who called the opening an extravagance. After that it lay almost untouched for more than twenty years.
In the 1950s Soviet players took it up, above all Mikhail Tal, who won many brilliant games with it. Bobby Fischer chose it in the third game of the 1972 world championship match, when he was down 0–2 against Boris Spassky, and won. The young Garry Kasparov played it too. In the 1980s the opening fell into a crisis, when White found dangerous weapons against it, but in the 2000s it has recovered.
The main line, move by move
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Be2 O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Nd2 Nbd7
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The ideas
White wants to
- Use the central majority, above all with the e5 break.
- Bring the knight to c4 and put pressure on the pawn on d6.
- Stop …b5 with a4.
Black wants to
- Advance the queenside pawns, with …a6, …b5 and sometimes …c4.
- Use the bishop on g7 and the half-open e-file.
- Play actively. A Black player who turns passive in the Benoni usually has a hard time.
Important variations
The Taimanov Attack: 7.f4 Bg7 8.Bb5+
White takes even more space with 7.f4 and threatens to push Black back with e5. The check 8.Bb5+ was analyzed by Mark Taimanov in 1956, but only in the early 1980s did players understand how strong it is. Both 8…Bd7 and 8…Nbd7 are met by 9.e5, so Black must play 8…Nfd7. Garry Kasparov won two much-noticed games with 9.a4, and for a time that made several grandmasters give up the Modern Benoni. In the 2000s Vugar Gashimov and others showed that Black has resources, for example 9…O-O 10.Nf3 Na6 11.O-O Nb4, but White keeps an edge.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. f4 Bg7 8. Bb5+ Nfd7 9. a4 O-O 10. Nf3 Na6 11. O-O Nb4
The Fianchetto Variation: 6.Nf3 g6 7.g3
A calmer way to play. White fianchettoes the king's bishop and holds back e4. The result is a positional game without immediate threats against Black. This is the variation Capablanca chose against Marshall in New York in 1927, and the game was drawn.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 7. g3 Bg7 8. Bg2 O-O 9. O-O Re8
The Modern Main Line: 8.h3 and 9.Bd3
In the Classical Main Line Black can trade off the knight on f3 with …Bg4, which makes it easier to hold. With 8.h3 White takes that square away from the bishop. Black often answers with the pawn sacrifice 9…b5, which leads to complicated play. But Black has to know a lot of theory just to keep the balance.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. h3 O-O 9. Bd3 b5
8. h3
White takes the g4-square away from Black's bishop.
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How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Benoni 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 | Club players | 2,311,212 | 48% | 5% | 47% |
| Strong players | 1,179,294 | 48% | 5% | 47% | |
| Modern Benoni, main line, up to 7…Bg7 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 | Club players | 450,977 | 46% | 5% | 48% |
| Strong players | 279,842 | 47% | 6% | 47% | |
| The Taimanov Attack: 7.f4 Bg7 8.Bb5+, up to 7…Bg7 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. f4 Bg7 | Club players | 288,300 | 50% | 5% | 45% |
| Strong players | 212,815 | 51% | 5% | 44% | |
| The Fianchetto Variation: 6.Nf3 g6 7.g3, up to 6…g6 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 | Club players | 601,949 | 49% | 5% | 46% |
| Strong players | 456,248 | 50% | 6% | 45% |
The most common continuations after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 4.Nc3 85% (1,955,907 games)
- 4.dxe6 7% (173,328 games)
- 4.Bg5 3% (66,314 games)
- 4.Nf3 2% (37,002 games)
- 4.d6 1% (31,922 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched November 6–7, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, strong players games where they average 2000 or more. The strong players' games are counted among the club players' too. Each position is counted however it was reached, and a line that goes further than we have numbers for is shown up to its last position with numbers.
Explore the position on the analysis board: the moves club players choose from here, how the games tend to end, and what Lavi thinks of each move.
Is this opening for you?
The Modern Benoni suits Black players who want to play for a win against 1.d4 and aren't afraid of risk. Lev Psakhis wrote that it is definitely not an opening for cowards. Black rarely gets a quiet, equal position, but often a game with chances for both sides.
If you play the King's Indian Defense, you will recognize a lot: the bishop on g7, the plans and several transpositions are shared. If you don't want to face the Taimanov Attack, start with 2…e6 and play 3…c5 only after 3.Nf3.
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
Rather play freely? Choose an opponent · Play right away
The main line with all the comments as text
1. d4 White takes space in the center with the queen's pawn. 1… Nf6 Black stops e4. 2. c4 More pressure on the center. 2… c5 Black strikes at d4 from the side. 3. d5 White pushes past and gains space. 3… e6 This is the Modern Benoni. Black challenges the pawn on d5 at once. 4. Nc3 White's most common move. The knight supports d5 and prepares e4. 4… exd5 Black captures at once. If Black waits, White can recapture with the e-pawn instead, and then the typical Benoni pawn structure never arises. 5. cxd5 Now White has a pawn majority in the center and Black one on the queenside. 5… d6 The pawn stops the d-pawn from going on to d6. 6. e4 White takes even more space. The sharpest lines start here. 6… g6 The bishop is headed for g7. 7. Nf3 White develops and gets ready to castle short. 7… Bg7 The bishop aims along the long diagonal, toward White's queenside. 8. Be2 The Classical Main Line. 8… O-O 9. O-O Re8 The rook puts pressure on the pawn on e4. 10. Nd2 The knight protects e4 and can go on to c4, where it attacks the pawn on d6. 10… Nbd7 Black's most aggressive plan, which became popular when Fischer played it: the knight is headed for e5, and …g5 often follows. White is better, but Black has counterplay and chances.
More openings
King's Indian Defense
Let White take the center, strike back with e5 and storm the kingside.
Benko Gambit
A pawn for long-lasting pressure on the queenside. The gambit that isn't afraid of the endgame.
Nimzo-Indian Defense
3…Bb4: pin the knight, stop e4, and be ready to trade the bishop for doubled pawns.
Grünfeld Defense
Black lets White build a center and then goes after it. Hypermodern and sharp.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
3… e6
This is the Modern Benoni. Black challenges the pawn on d5 at once.