anybody plays the BENONI?

Can I have some opinion on the Benoni, the Modern one?

I never hear it mentioned on this forum and looking at a database it is rarely played. Is it less good, or perhaps harder to learn?

I recently switched to the Nimzo/Bogo and I'm most likely staying with them, but I'd like to have some idea of the pros and cons of the Benoni, particularly related to a rating of around 2000 (the one I hope to achieve in the future).

thanks

I fulfill all your criteria, as I've been playing the Modern Benoni to the exclusion of all others, for more than thirty years.

Here's your answer: The Taimanov line practically busts the MB:

The trick is to get into a MB by transposition e.g.

the taimanov is what made people stop playig the benoni in the eighties, if you look through some more recent games in that line though it doesn't have the same sting it once did.

i was going to direct you to the games brown vs nunn and brown vs lobron from the tv show the master game on youtube but the guy who hosted them has had his account removed! gutted.

The Ben-oni is a sharp, tactical opening. If you want to improve your calculation skills then this opening will help you. The position is unbalanced from the beginning, so there is a good chance to win for both players. 

You may want to play other opening if you want to play slow, strategical positions or if you want a solid middlegame where you can have the draw at least.

To play the Ben-oni defense can be very exciting if you win and very frustrating if you lose. Nice combinations included.

I wish you the best to try it or study some interesting games! 

Bobby Fischer used the Ben-oni defense in the 3rd game of the World Championship match against Boris Spassky.

In this game black was able to use 3 main ideas for black and preventing 2 main ideas for white.

1. He had active piece play on the kingside with the knight by Nh5 and Ng4

2. He was able to advance the queenside pawns by b6,a6 and then b5.

3. He attacked the white e4 central pawn by rooks on the e-file.

Finally he won the e4 pawn and later the endgame.

Black's critical weakness is the d6 pawn. White has 2 main plans:

1. Winning the pawn.

2. Exchanging it with e4-e5 and then advance the d-pawn. 

wow, thanks guys, I'm getting excited now!

I like positions where each side have weaknesses and strengths: that 3 on 2 majority that black has on the queenside looks really strong, but so is the play that white can have against d6. I guess putting a pawn on b5 to prevent a knight from parking on c4 is key.

some quick questions:

- Black's dark square Bishop looks really strong, pointing right at the queenside: I play the sicilian so I know the theme of the fianchetto's bishop that helps push on the queenside. But in the Benoni white's dsB is also strong because it attacks d6. So, should white go for a trade of dark squared bishops (like he usually tries in the sicilian)? Or is my bishop on g7 safe because white doesn't really want to exchange?

- I don't really understand the Nh5 move. Where was the knight going and isn't it dangerous for black to have the fianchetto tore apart?

- Doggy_Style, in your Taimanov line why not Nbd7? where else is that knight going? And is trading ligh squared bishops really that bad? I see "good" vs "bad" bishop but white's seems like it has a great attacking potential on the light squares...

- Doggy_Style, in your Taimanov line why not Nbd7? where else is that knight going? And is trading ligh squared bishops really that bad? I see "good" vs "bad" bishop but white's seems like it has a great attacking potential on the light squares...

The advance e5 is difficult to meet. That's why Nfd7 is played, to control the e5 square. Make no bones about it, having played e4 and f4. White fully intends to play e5.

The "pawn storm" can come even earlier e.g.

Here's a recent game that I played on this site:

Nh5 prepared Nf4 to attack the king and opened the diagonal for the queen to move to h4. Bxh5 is not dangerous for the black king, because black has more pieces around the kingside.

Why not p,ay the Benko gambitYou get benoni like positions but with the open a and b files plus Great queenside pressure!

actually, i heard some people actually play the benoni now, because some computer move on move 20 actually ressurected the line. I think it was something like Qg2!

I'll try to find the moves so I can post it.