Benko Gambit

is this a good opening??

I think it's good. Been on the wrong side of it in a few vote chess games....

but were you pretty consistent

I am so frustrated by this opening. I lose this line all the time. I get all confused by those doubled knights cirlcling in on the center and my squashed rooks trying to save my 1 pawn advantage on the queenside while blacks c pawn strolls on in.

The Benko gambit is a good opening, it has some very interesting ideas. In the Benko gambit accepted, Bxa6 stops white from playing e3/e4 and developing his Bf1 in a normal way, so g3 and Bg2 is white's plan. Black's bishops are very strong. In the Benko gambit declined, white can play e4 but black can still play some dangerous moves.

ya i see what you mean and black has the all his pawns connected

oh okay thanks what do you suggest i start off with

The Benko is a fabulous fighting defense against 1. d4. Especially for those willing to put in the time and effort to learn the ins and outs of same. A couple of things to keep in mind though. There are so many ways for each side to "get it wrong" it's almost scary in its capacity to make you look like an idiot (either as white or black). Trust me ... I've been on both sides of the blunder equation. 

It may seem counter intuitive but the Benko Gambit is as much about gaining an endgame advantage (getting a "c" passer etc.) as it is quick and easy development. The d3 square often becomes the achilles heel of White - the black pieces pouring through behind White's pawn front and making life untenable. That said the Epishin variation puts Black's ideas on hold and makes it a head bangingly frustrating ordeal. There are so many tactical shots for Black I would be hard pressed to list them. But you don't often get the chance to play same if your opponent knows what he's/she's about. You have to be prepared to dig in and get into a positional struggle .... trying with all your might to make the gambit count!

The Epishin BTW is:  d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.Nf3 d6 8.g3 Bg7 9.Bg2 Nbd7 10.Rb1!

GM Neil McDonald said it best:

From Neil McDonald's "The Benko Gambit Revealed":

"When you play the Benko Gambit you set White the astonishingly difficult task of exploiting the extra pawn: it is so difficult in fact as to be virtually impossible, and for this reason many players hand back the pawn as quickly as possible in return for a positional, rather than a material, plus.  You will need patience, endurance and fighting spirit no matter what form the game takes. It is a great consolation to know that Black is acting from a sound positional base - the endgame is normally good for him and the onus is therefore on White to "do something". This is too much pressure for most players, even Grandmasters, and the thing they "do" is often horrendous."

My emphasis.

okay cool i will try that out thanks

I totally agree with starting the basic openings. When I first started playing chess I was so involved in opening variations I forgot what the main objective of them was !! There are basic reasons for the main line QGD, I found that I often had distorted opening principles after I branched off with more complex hyper-modern strategies.

wait so what the whole main line of the Orthodox Defense

i love benkos gambit pal benko invented it

looks like a reverse evan's gambit