Benko Gambit : Chess Book Moves + How to Play + Traps

Book Moves : Benko Gambit

A book move is a move that is well-known to opening theory. In other words, a book move is an opening move that is considered standard or conventional.

The term book moves relates to the time that almost all opening theory was once contained in only books (although this information is now readily available in multiple formats like opening databases, videos, and other online material as well as books). Chess books on openings still exist, of course, and some have been around for over 100 years. Modern Chess Openings (MCO) has had 15 revisions since it was initially published in 1911.

Opening theory refers to known opening moves that have been published in books, databases, magazines, etc. If two players play a game whose first 10 moves have been played before, then those first 10 moves are considered book moves or theory. If you ever hear someone say that a player is "booked up" on a particular opening, they are simply saying that the player knows the theory.

Book moves are important for several reasons. If a player knows book moves in a particular opening, it means that they know the opening theory for the position that they are playing. Thus the player understands the known plans associated with the opening that they are playing as well as where their pieces should be placed.

When a player deviates from opening theory, they are considered to be "out of book." After both players are out of book and no longer playing book moves, the players are essentially playing for themselves at that point and are no longer playing from memory.  The number of book moves played can also indicate the originality of the opening phase in a game. In some games, both players follow theory or play book moves for 20 to 30 moves, but leave known theory in other games after only a couple of book moves. 

For long days I have collected book moves and it is my high privilege to share them with chess.com users. Today I am presenting book moves on Benko Gambit. 

The Benko Gambit (or Volga Gambit) is a chess opening characterised by the move 3...b5 in the Benoni Defence arising after:

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 c5
3. d5 b5
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings has three codes for the Benko Gambit:

A57 3...b5
A58 3...b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6
A59 3...b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 Bxa6 6.Nc3 d6 7.e4

01. Benko Gambit, Accepted, Central Storming Variation (ECO A57)

02. Benko Gambit, Accepted, Dlugy Variation (ECO A57)

03. Benko Gambit, Accepted, Fianchetto Variation (ECO A58)

04. Benko Gambit, Accepted, King Walk Variation (ECO A59)

05. Benko Gambit, Accepted, Modern Variation (ECO A57)

06. Benko Gambit, Accepted, Pawn Return Variation (ECO A57)

07. Benko Gambit, Accepted, Yugoslav with 7...Bxf1, Nge2 (ECO A59)

08. Benko Gambit, Accepted, Yugoslav without 7...Bxf1 (ECO A59)

09. Benko Gambit, Declined, Bishop Attack (ECO A57)

10. Benko Gambit, Declined, Main Line (ECO A57)

11. Benko Gambit, Declined, Pseudo-Saemisch (ECO A57)

12. Benko Gambit, Declined, Quiet Line (ECO A57)

13. Benko Gambit, Declined, Sosonko Variation (ECO A57)

14. Benko Gambit, Zaitsev System (ECO A58)

15. Benko Gambit, Zaitsev Variation, Nescafe Frappe Attack (ECO A57)

Benko Gambit : How to Play

The Benko Gambit is a sound, refreshing alternative to Slav Defense or the Grunfeld Defense against 1.d4. It’s a strategically and dynamically complex opening full of tactical possibilities. With early sacrifice of pawn Black looks for active piece play and long-lasting positional compensation in the form of the half-open a- and b-files. White player playing Benko Gambit needs to have deep knowledge on this openings and the positional understanding. 

From Wikipedia we find the following.

The idea of sacrificing a pawn with ...b5 and ...a6 is quite old. Karel Opočenský applied the idea against, among others, Gideon Ståhlberg at Poděbrady 1936, Paul Keres at Pärnu 1937, Erich Eliskases at Prague 1937, and Theo van Scheltinga at the Buenos Aires Chess Olympiad 1939. Later, the game Mark Taimanov–David Bronstein at the Candidates Tournament, Zürich 1953, drew attention. Most of these games began as a King's Indian, with Black only later playing ...c5 and ...b5. Possibly the first game using the now-standard move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 was Thorvaldsson–Vaitonis, Munich Olympiad 1936.

In many countries, particularly in the Eastern Bloc, the opening is known as the Volga Gambit (Russian: Волжский гамбит). This name is derived from the Volga River after an article about 3...b5!? by B. Argunow written in Kuibyshev (Samara since 1991), Russia, that was published in the second 1946 issue of the magazine Shakhmaty v SSSR.

Beginning in the late 1960s, this opening idea was also promoted by Hungarian-American grandmaster Pal Benko, who provided many new suggestions and published his book The Benko Gambit in 1974. The name Benko Gambit stuck and is particularly used in English-speaking countries.

In his 1974 book, Benko drew a distinction between the Benko Gambit and the Volga Gambit: "Volga Gambit" referred to the move 3...b5 (sometimes followed by an early ...e6), while the "Benko Gambit" consisted of the moves 3...b5 4.cxb5 a6, now considered the main line. Today the names are synonymous and are used interchangeably or joined together as "Volga-Benko Gambit".

The main line continues 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 followed by Black fianchettoing the f8-bishop. (Black players are leery of the double-fianchetto system, where White plays g3 and b3 and fianchettos both bishops, have preferred 5...g6 intending 6.b3 Bg7 7.Bb2 Nxa6! The point is that it is awkward for White to meet the threat of ...Nb4, hitting d5 and a2, when Nc3 may often be met by ...Nfxd5 because of the latent pin down the long diagonal.) Black's compensation for the pawn takes several forms. First, White, who is already behind in development, must solve the problem of developing the f1-bishop. After 6. Nc3 d6, if White plays 7.e4, then Black will respond 7...Bxf1, and after recapturing with the king, White must spend time castling artificially with g3 and Kg2, as in the line 7...Bxf1 8.Kxf1 g6 9.g3 Bg7 10.Kg2. If White avoids this by fianchettoing the bishop, it will be in a rather passive position, being blocked by White's own pawn on d5.

Apart from this, Black also obtains fast development, good control of the a1–h8 diagonal, and can exert pressure down the half-open a- and b-files. These benefits can last well into the endgame and so, unusually for a gambit, Black does not generally mind if queens are exchanged; indeed, exchanging queens can often remove the sting from a kingside attack by White.

Although the main line of the Benko is considered acceptable for White, there are various alternatives that avoid some of the problems entailed in the main line. The simplest is to just decline the gambit with 4.Nf3. Other possible moves are 4.Nd2, 4.a4, 4.e3, and 4.Qc2. Another idea, popular at the grandmaster level as of 2004 and considered a safer option for Black, is to accept the pawn with 4.cxb5 but then immediately return it with 4...a6 5.b6. In main idea is that after exchanging as many pieces as possible, having the black rooks on the a and b file, white's a and b pawns can become vulnerable and the black king can become very active and make it to the center via the black bishop's fianchetto diagonal.

Benko Gambit Traps

Now we are looking into some beautiful traps in Benko Gambit. Check below.

Trap No 1 - ECO A56 - Level Type : Hard - Advantage for Black

Trap No 2 - ECO A57 - Level Type : Easy - Advantage for Black

Trap No 3 - ECO A57 - Level Type : Easy - Advantage for Black

Trap No 4 - ECO A57 - Level Type : Easy - Advantage for White

Trap No 5 - ECO A57 - Level Type : Hard - Advantage for White

Please note that the above mentioned trap follows Benko Gambit, Accepted, Dlugy Variation (ECO A57). 

Trap No 6 - ECO A57 - Level Type : Hard - Advantage for White

Hope you enjoy the entire post. Due to lack of leisure time I finish this post for today. If I find something special searching my collection book and internet then I will definitely append them. Please check my blog once a week. Usually I write for my blog on Sunday. Today suddenly I found some free time and decided to publish a post on Benko Gambit.

Finally don't forget to watch the videos from chess.com video library. Links go below.

1. https://www.chess.com/video/player/becoming-a-nemesis-beating-the-benko

2. https://www.chess.com/video/player/benko-gambit-destruction

3. https://www.chess.com/video/player/absence-in-logic-in-the-game

Hope theses traps will help you while playing Blitz or Bullet. 

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