Thoughts on the Benoni Defense?

Hi everyone. 

I recently started to build an opening repertoire based on the Benoni defense together with one of my students (he was tired of the King´s Indian). I used some books as inspiration, as Chinese= School of Chess, where he has a topic about the "Benoni Mystique", which some general ideas on the opening. 

Do you have any particular thoughts on it? Any books recommendation? 

The Czech Benoni un ACTION: by FM Asa Hoffmann and Greg Keener

Interesting idea! Hmm, can't think of many though...

It's interesting to note that of all the ECO listings of openings which contain reference to the Benoni, only B06, the Pterodactyl Defense, Eastern, Benoni, is the only one I've seen which does not contain the pawn move of c5. It would also be an interesting note to see if any of the writings on the Benoni Defense would contain reference to the B06 opening.

I absolutely love the Benoni.  I don't know what level your student is at, but it works super well for me, and definitely could for him if he's around my level.  Against 1. d4 I play 1...c5, after which if they know the correct move (2. d5) I can play 2...e6 and 3. ... Nf3 to transpose into a normal Modern Benoni (which I have no problem with playing), and if they play something "safe" like 2. c3, 2. Bf4, or 2. dxc5, then I can have a very pleasant game.  At my level, 1... c5 gives all the benefits of the normal benoni, and offers more ways for the opponent to play inaccurately and give me a pleasant position.

re. on my last note: I got that info on chesstempo.com, and see that the Benoni reference to B06 no longer appears, although, a following of one of the games referenced, does have a c5 move position early into middle game. So the reference may have been an early, premature classification. My original info was found a few months back when I began to research chess openings. I do hope that this did not mislead or confuse your or your student's work.

He is around 1700 FIDE. 

Did you make any specific study on these other lines like 2.c3, 2.Bf4, etc? 

Thank you. 

You didn´t. Tks for sharing your searches. 

I should have been more specific. I was referring to the Modern Benoni (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6).

Haha! I have that book, it’s great.

although I don’t think any sane person would play the czech...

B1Z likes it I think, but I never play it so idk.

“Like” is an understatement.

I haven't done much specific study on them.  Mainly, I just play intuitive moves- Nc6, d5, etc.  A lot of times it transposes into a standard way of playing against the London, which is just fine with me, since the London isn't all that ambitious and I do well against it.   I don't know if at the 1700 FIDE level the London carries more bite, but I'm always happy when my opponent tries to be "safe" and plays 2. c3 or something similar.

Basically, when I play the 1... c5 Benoni, there are three paths I see taken:

1. My opponent plays 2. d5, I play 2... e6, and we transpose into a normal Benoni.  One can also play a Czech Benoni from 2. d5, but I don't like it very much.

2. My opponent backs down with something like 2. c3, 2. e3, 2. Nf3, or whatever.  These usually head into some kind of London, which is just fine with me.

3. My opponent takes, in which case I immediately have a central pawn majority and can play e6, Bxc5, and get a good game.

The main trouble for me, in the first and third variations, is getting my LSB out.  If my opponent plays 2. dxc5 I'm almost always going to end up with a pawn on e6, and most of the time with a pawn on d5 as well to take space.  If my opponent makes it so I don't have time to get my LSB out, that can be a minor annoyance.  I haven't studied much theory here, so I'm sure there are ways to be precise and either avoid or minimize this disadvantage, I just don't know them.  If 2. d5, then I'm going to end up in a normal benoni, where it's typical for the LSB to lack a home in the opening.  There are pawns on d5, e4, g6, etc, making it difficult to develop without risking getting trapped on the K-side, and the Q-side often has expansion with a6 and b5, making it harder to get out my LSB this way as well.  Again, there are ways to work around this and get a very nice game, but I haven't studied them a ton.  Usually, it doesn't come up that I need that much opening knowledge at my level, and even when my opponent knows the critical lines that put the most pressure on the Benoni, the worst that happens is that my opponent doesn't let me play in an endgame (where the Benoni does well, and which I enjoy), and makes me play an exciting, double edged game like in the Pawn Storm variation, where Black has chances too.  Make no mistake, the Benoni is not a perfect solution to all life's troubles, but it's super flexible, fun to play, a little off-beat, and has positional trump-cards (Q-side pawn majority, powerful Bg7) that a player sub-GM level can really exploit and have fun with while the White player has to figure out other plans that, to me at least, seem a lot harder to utilize sub-GM, like pressing a small space advantage and often times Black making a lot of pawn-moves in the opening.

Thank you for your detailed answer  

I hope we can enjoy playing the "son of sorrow" as much as you,

As a Queens Gambit player, the two openings I hate the most are Benoni and Grunfeld.

what?

"Just okay?"

I hate to be that guy, but who are you to say something like that, speaking for all players above 1200?

Says who

Computer says modern defense is +1.5

not exactly reliable.

Heh.  1700 FIDE players are not computers.  GMs are not computers.  Magnus Carlsen can't play like a computer.  I don't mind if a computer thinks my opening is sub-opportune if it offers good practical chances, fits my playing style, and is enjoyable to play.  

he should of took my Queen