Indian · a defense for Black
Benoni Defense: Pawn Storm Variation
13/13
1.d4Nf62.c4c53.d5e64.Nc3exd55.cxd5d66.e4g67.f4
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Benoni Defense: Pawn Storm Variation190k games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
93%177k48%
1.8%3.4k46%
1.8%3.4k50%
1.6%3.0k43%
0.8%1.5k50%
0.6%1.1k48%
0.3%48544%
0.1%13643%
0%6543%
0%6043%
Famous games in this line2.3k master games
Grischuk, A.. (2777) – Dubov, Daniil (2710)Bareev, Evgeny (2726) – Topalov, Veselin (2745)Jakovenko, Dmitrij (2725) – Gashimov, Vugar (2734)Keymer, Vincent (2738) – Rapport, R. (2720)Bareev, Evgeny (2675) – Gelfand, Boris (2717)Sasikiran, Krishnan (2669) – Bacrot, Etienne (2721)Duda, J. (2758) – Ponkratov, P. (2632)Adly, Ahmed (2631) – Grischuk, Alexander (2746)Heroes of this opening Topalov, Veselin · Rapport, R. · Bacrot, Etienne · Duda, J.
- Family
- Benoni Defense
- Category
- Indian
- First move
- 1.d4
- ECO
- A66
- Line
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. f4
Sharp
★ Read the guide: Benoni DefenseExplore all 61 Benoni Defense lines →Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Benoni Defense: Mikenas Variation7…Bg7 8.e5Benoni Defense: Taimanov Variation7…Bg7 8.Bb5Benoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack7…Bg7 8.Nf3 O-O · 1 deeper lineBenoni Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line7…Bg7 8.Nf3 O-O 9.Be2 Re8
Nearby lines in the family
From the archives
The name comes from Aaron Reinganum's 1825 book 'Ben-Oni' — Hebrew for 'son of sorrow'. Reinganum's own words give the reason: he sat over a chessboard whenever he wanted to take refuge from melancholy. Tal made the Modern Benoni a terror in the 1950s and 60s: give up the centre, then let every piece point at White's queenside like an accusation.
Study this opening