Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Benoni
The Modern Benoni: the pawn structure, White’s f4 systems, and Black’s ...a6, ...b5 and ...Re8.
The idea
Black takes the e-file and queenside space; White takes the centre.
- The rook on f8 goes to e8, onto the half-open e-file.
- From e8 it attacks the pawn on e4.
- The pawn on d6 can take if White pushes to e5.
In a game: White has a pawn on d5 and no c-pawn, Black no e-pawn: look for ...Re8 and ...b5.
How the lesson begins
The Modern Benoni is an unbalanced answer to the queen’s pawn. Black attacks the centre from the side with ...c5, and when White pushes past with d5, Black attacks that pawn too. White gets space and the centre. Black gets the half-open e-file and play on the queenside.
Step through the moves. Lichess calls the position the Modern Variation of the Benoni Defence.
- 1. d4 White starts with the queen’s pawn.
- 1... Nf6 Black develops a knight.
- 2. c4 The c-pawn takes space in the centre.
- 2... c5 Black attacks the pawn on d4 from the side.
- 3. d5 White pushes the pawn past the pawn on c5 and gains space.
- 3... e6 Black attacks the pawn on d5 with the e-pawn. The position is the Modern Variation.
A question
In Lichess games where the players’ average rating was 1600 to 1999, 1245 reached 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5. In how many of them did White now push the pawn to d5?
Show the answer
A little under two in three, 790 of 1245.
Right. Of the games that went on with that push, Black won 56%, White 41% and only 3% were drawn. This is a fight for the win.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | Too few games |
| 800 to 1199 | 3.8 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 6.3 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 11 |
| 2000 and up | 16 |
How the games ended
White won 48%, 4% were drawn and Black won 48%, over 16,404 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.