I Analyzed 100+ Games In The Benoni... This Is What I Learnt:

This week I decided to go through the Benoni structure.

It's one of the most dynamic and nuanced structures in chess, and so it has been on my bucket list for ages! I'm very happy I chose to study this, as I have found it super interesting.

The main problem I had was a lack of learning material. I had one course on pawn structures in general, but it really only went through 3-4 ideas for each color within the Benoni specifically. I didn't want to spend money just to buy a new book or course, so I decided to invent my own ideas!

By looking at over a 100 games of the Benoni structure, I compiled over 20 very specific ideas for Black. I've also explored ideas for White but I haven't really had time to compile them just yet.

In this blog I'll only go through some of the ideas I find interesting, but if you want to learn all 20+ ideas I recommend you check out my lichess study.

This week I mainly focused on the "asymmetrical benoni" and so that is the version of the Benoni I'll talk about in today :)

The 3 Core Plans

In the Benoni you have 3 main plans that almost every idea is based on:

1. Advance the queenside majority with ...b7-b5, ...c5-c4, ...b5-b4, etc.

This is the most well-known idea within the Benoni structure. As Black you're in need of space, and the way you deal with this is by expanding on the Queenside. Additionally, since you have a pawn majority on that flank, you'll often be able to create a passed pawn towards the endgame, which can be crucial.

2. Break White's centre with ...f7-f5.

When progress has stalled on the Queenside, it's frequently possible to create counter-play by blasting open the center with f7-f5. This break can work wonderfully after White has played f2-f4 since the d5-pawn loses protection.

3. Apply pressure down the e-file, preventing White from advancing his central majority.

White's main idea in the Benoni structure is to use their central pawn majority by pushing e4-e5. Our main way of stopping this is by applying pressure down the e-file, which can also be useful in other scenarios as the e4-pawn can become a target.

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Practice These Ideas

The three ideas I showed in this blog are just the surface level plans. If you want to dive in and actually learn about the Benoni I highly recommend checking out my lichess study. It has a lot of practical exercises and I'm very proud of it! :D