Modern Benoni

I want to improve my understanding of the modern Benoni so I want to know where can I find various annotated games with this opening.

Thank you!

Hey...

You could download pgn from below site.....http://www.pgnmentor.com/files.html#openings

You are a diamond member go find some videos on this site.

What is considered the "modern" benoni?

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5, as opposed to the Old Benoni 1. d4 c5

The Modern Benoni is distinguished by e6 and Black's Kingside fianchetto . "Modern" comes into the name because it lets White have a foothold in the center like the Pirc/Modern Defense or "Modern" Indian Defenses like KID. The old move order 1. d4 c5 is the called the "Old Benoni" but it's not a one or the other situation. There are lines after the better 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 which are not the Modern Benoni such as the Czech Benoni with e5 or the Benko Gambit, and if White lets you you can even get into a Modern Benoni from the old 1. c5 move order.

So why did 1..c5 fall out of favor?  Just because it reveals black's intentions earlier than necessary?

White can make things difficult for Black playing 3. Nc3 (and not c4,) and angling to try place a Knight on c4 later which hits against d6. This is not possible with a pawn already on c4.

No, that's not the point. After 4...exd5 5.cxd5 square c4 is just as available in the Modern Benoni. Problem for black in the Schmidt Benoni (1.d4 c5 2.d5 d6 3.Nc3) is that black lacks most of his dynamic counterplay (Q-side majority, central pressure, white can control square d4 by playing c3) while still having the usual disadvantage in space.

There are also a few upsides to the Schmidt Benoni: Not giving white a central pawn majority means that e4-e5 is less frightening. But altogether white just has an easier life here.

After 1. d4 c5 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Black plays 3... e5. The reason why this is a slightly innacurate move order is the reason I said. I don' know about the Schmidt line.

Black plays all kinds of moves: 3...d6, 3...g6, 3... e6, 3...e5. When he is striving for Modern Benoni type positions, the Czech Benoni, which is initiated by 3...e5, would hardly be his first choice. 

3... e5 isn't the Czech Benoni. White has a pawn on c4 in the Czech. After 3... e5 White can put Knight on c4 like I said.

Whatever you call it, it's a closed Benoni with a pawn on c2. This thread is about Modern Benoni, and in Modern Benoni there is no pawn on c4. Don't see why this is so difficult for you to understand.

I didn't say there was a pawn on c4 in the Modern Benoni.

This is what you said. But square c4 is only unavailable in the Czech Benoni and in certain rather dubious Benoni lines.

And here is the result of a quick database check on 1.d4 c5 2.d5 Nf6 3.Nc3 (Chesslive.de):

3...d6 936 games

3...g6 725 games

3...e6 289 games

3...e5 230 games

As I said, 3...e5 is a playable move, but your statement that after 3.Nc3 "black plays 3...e5" is a bit far fetched in the light of these statistics. Also consider that Modern Benoni players tend to go for the less closed type of positions and will usually prefer the Schmidt Benoni before the closed one.

I already said I didn't know the Schmidt Benoni. Maybe it is better than e5. I didn't say it's wasn't. I said I don't know it. Here is a chesspub page that says Black plays e5 in the Old Benoni which is not the same thing as the Schmidt and also that one of White's trumps is to put a Knight on c4: http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1179893606/0 though I don't know who these authors are; anyway it's not just those authors and that thread and I'm not making it up.

"Defences without c2-c4:
1.d4 c5 2.d5 e5 is the Old Benoni... The oldest game I know dates from 1841. ...
1.d4 c5 2.d5 d6 3...Nf6 and 4...g6 is the Schmidt-Benoni, after Lothar Schmidt."

"Back to the original question:

d4 c5 is an inferior version for two reasons:

1) White can often place a N on c4 advantageously..."

What the guy on chesspub says isn't so bad. I agree that closed Benonis with a pawn on c2 are probably even better than with one on c4. But either lines (3.c4 e5 and 3.Nc3 e5) are quite good for white, opening theoretically speaking, and rather passive on the black side. 

I'm not saying you are making anything up. c4 is the key square for a white knight in many Benoni positions. When it's available, it's relevant more often than not. But when you play c4 in the Benoni, you usually expect the pawn to either take on d5 (Modern Benoni) or on b5 (Benko) soon. Blocking that square isn't really a concern.

Well personally I get good results with Black against class A players and once or twice against players with online ratings over 2000 with the passive e5 lines, quite a bit better than in regular 1. d4 stuff just because I think my opponents don't see it very often and don't know how to play it. I can't count how many times very strong players have pushed f4 way too early when Black has a very easy game, but I don't mean to say it's just traps. I really don't think the Czech is a bad line if you know how to play it. I suppose I do imagine it starts to matter at higher levels, though some much stronger players seem to think it can be a good idea there or are just trying to sell their books on it.. Palliser "how to play against d4." But this whole exchange has been off topic... although it doesn't seem like there's much Modern Benoni being played at the highest level these days either... unless someone can find some ... hopefully annotated games, and point the thread back on track.

'There's nothing wrong with an early f4 as long as white knows his stuff. I find the Taimanov attack to be quite fun, but if black's well prepared, he should find equality against it.

Well that'll teach me to talk on and on off-topic... someone did ask about 1... c5 so I started talking about the Old Benoni and was referring to that line and the Czech when I said an early f4 was bad (because Black takes on f4 and then plays a Knight into the e5 outpost.) I think an early f4 probably works fine in the Modern... and that's probably why I see it so often in the Czech from players on auto-pilot.