benko or nimzo

Hey everyone.. i am thinking  of a black opening repetuire when white plays d4.

I am a really positional player so i thought that I should play the benko gambit or the nimzo-indian defense, which one opening do you think would be right for me people?

Pls post your thoughts!

WilliLo (That's not my real name)

They are two very different chess openings.  The Benko Gambit arrives from a Benomi move order.  The Nimzo-Indian arrives from a queen's gambit move order.  One is a dynamic opening which is semi-open while the Benko Gambit is more of a closed game although there are some lines which can get wild.

I guess you could play them both to see which opening fits your style the best.

I would disagree with some of this... the Nimzo-Indian definitely doesn't come from a QG move order, Black doesn't advance his d-pawn. And the Benko Gambit doesn't really stay closed since pawn captures tend to happen early, on the queenside.

I haven't really played the Nimzo, but the Benko Gambit seems to have elements of both positional and tactical play. Black aims for tactics on one or both of the long diagonals, using quick development on the queenside to attempt to recoup his pawn investment; or, he could try to pin down and eventually win the b-pawn or a-pawn and the subsequent endgame is better for him. Other strategies also exist.

For some ideas off the general beaten path, check out the Dzindzi-Indian (1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 f5....

Also, check out the Kangaroo defense, 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Bb4+....

For the Dzindzi, get the Roman's labs DVD's on this opening.

For the Kangaroo, Check out "Unorthodox Openings" by Eric Schiller, page 239

Nimzo is the more solid, better respected opening.  You can play it for your entire career and there are many choices for both black and white within the complex.  The Benko goes in and out of respectability.  It is probably perfectly fine for most people depending on your style and desire.