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34-541: The original form of the Benoni, now known as the Old Benoni , is characterized by This leaves Black a few options such as an early ...f5 and an early dark-squared bishop trade by ...Be7-g5, but has the drawback that White is no longer committed to playing c2-c4 after the response 2.d5. White may prefer to occupy c4 with a knight, or to inconvenience Black's development with an early bishop check on b5. More commonly, it

68-724: A King's Indian , with Black only later playing ...c5 and ...b5. Possibly the first game using the now-standard move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 was Thorvaldsson–Vaitonis, Munich Olympiad 1936 . In many countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, the opening is known as the Volga Gambit ( Russian : Волжский гамбит ). This name is derived from the Volga River after an article about 3...b5 !? by B. Argunow written in Kuibyshev ( Samara since 1991), Russia, that

102-574: A pawn with ...b5 and ...a6 is quite old. Karel Opočenský applied the idea against, among others, Gideon Ståhlberg at Poděbrady 1936, Paul Keres at Pärnu 1937, Erich Eliskases at Prague 1937, and Theo van Scheltinga at the Buenos Aires Chess Olympiad 1939 . Later, the game Mark Taimanov – David Bronstein at the Candidates Tournament , Zürich 1953, drew attention. Most of these games began as

136-537: A sacrifice is a move that gives up a piece with the objective of gaining tactical or positional compensation in other forms. A sacrifice could also be a deliberate exchange of a chess piece of higher value for an opponent's piece of lower value. Any chess piece except the king may be sacrificed. Because players usually try to hold on to their own pieces, offering a sacrifice can come as an unpleasant surprise to one's opponent, putting them off balance and causing them to waste precious time trying to calculate whether

170-476: A potential redeployment of the bishop to g7, has also been tried. White appears to retain the advantage against both setups. The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings has many codes for the Benoni Defense. Old Benoni Defense: Benoni Defense: Fianchetto Variation: Modern Benoni: Taimanov Variation: Four Pawns Attack: Classical Benoni: Bibliography Sacrifice (chess) In chess ,

204-783: A solid grip over the kingside with the e6-pawn and Nf7 outpost combination. This line is named after the Greek mythological river that interconnects the Earth and the Underworld. These lines are diverse and complicated and are not well explored. Other less common lines include 4...b4, the Advance Variation, leading to positional games with pseudo-Benoni structures; and the rare 4...Qa5+ which often transposes into an altered Advance Variation with White playing 5.Bd2 and Black responding 5...b4. The gambit's most notable practitioner

238-534: Is an ancient Hebrew name, still occasionally used, meaning "son of my sorrow". It is a reference to the Biblical account of the dying Rachel giving birth to Benjamin , whom she named Ben-Oni. In 1825 Aaron Reinganum, a prominent member of the Frankfurt Jewish community , published a book entitled Ben-Oni oder die Vertheidigungen gegen die Gambitzüge im Schache in which he analyzed several defenses to

272-582: Is classified under the ECO codes A60–A79. The Blumenfeld is a variant of the Modern Benoni beginning 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nf3 b5. While it superficially resembles the Benko Gambit, it has a different strategic goal, that being to initiate counterplay against White's pawn center rather than develop positional pressure on the queen's side. The Snake Benoni is a variant of the Modern Benoni where

306-498: Is not favorable to Black. Bennoni [sic] gives some examples; but it loses time to White, which deprives Black of all the advantages of a good opening." Staunton wrote in The Chess-Player's Companion (1849): "M. St. Amant derived this somewhat bizarre defense from Benoni. (Benoni, oder Vertheidigungen die Gambitzüge im Schache, &c. Von Aaron Reinganum, Frankfort, 1825.)" Staunton also mentions "Ben-Oni" while commenting on

340-687: Is reached by the sequence: Black can then offer a pawn sacrifice with 3...b5 (the Benko Gambit ), otherwise 3...e6 is the most common move, leading to the Modern Benoni . 3...d6 or 3...g6 are also seen, typically transposing to main lines, or to lines of the King's Indian Defense . 3...e5, the Czech Benoni , is now considered old-fashioned and allows White a clear space advantage. Benoni ( Hebrew : בֶּן־אוֹנִי ‎ ; Ben-Oni )

374-599: Is the Halloween Gambit . Benko Gambit The Benko Gambit (or Volga Gambit ) is a chess opening characterised by the move 3...b5 in the Benoni Defence arising after: Black sacrifices a pawn for enduring queenside pressure. White can accept or decline the gambit pawn. The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings has three codes for the Benko Gambit: The idea of sacrificing

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408-434: Is the second most common form of Benoni after the Benko Gambit . Black's intention is to play ...exd5 and create a queenside pawn majority , whose advance will be supported by a fianchettoed bishop on g7. The combination of these two features differentiates Black's setup from the other Benoni defenses and the King's Indian Defense , although transpositions between these openings are common. The Modern Benoni

442-631: Is to just decline the gambit with 4.Nf3. Other possible moves are 4.Nd2, 4.a4, 4.e3, and 4.Qc2. Another option, popular at the grandmaster level as of 2004 and considered safer for Black, is to accept the pawn with 4.cxb5 but then immediately return it with 4...a6 5.b6. After 4.a4, the Sosonko Variation, Black has three sound replies. The most popular line is 4...bxc4, the Sosonko Accepted, which often leads to sharp and sacrificial lines for both sides. Such lines include

476-411: The kingside and prevent ...f5. Grandmaster Ben Finegold often plays this line; he notably beat Mamedyarov in this variation. The Benko Gambit, also known as the Volga Gambit, begins 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5. Play usually continues 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 Bxa6. Black sacrifices a pawn for open lines and long-term positional pressure on the queen's side. The Modern Benoni, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6,

510-620: The Morra Gambit , also promising equality at best. The Old Benoni may transpose to the Czech Benoni, but there are a few independent variations. This form has never attracted serious interest in high-level play, though Alexander Alekhine defeated Efim Bogoljubow with it in one game of their second match, in 1934. The Old Benoni is sometimes called the Blackburne Defense after Englishman Joseph Henry Blackburne ,

544-408: The endgame and so, unusually for a gambit , Black does not generally mind if queens are exchanged; indeed, exchanging queens can often remove the sting from a kingside attack by White. Also in the endgame, the black king can become active and reach the centre via the h8–a1 diagonal. There are various alternatives that avoid some of the problems entailed in the main line. The simplest

578-459: The Benko Gambit and the Volga Gambit: "Volga Gambit" referred to the move 3...b5 (sometimes followed by an early ...e6), while the "Benko Gambit" consisted of the moves 3...b5 4.cxb5 a6, now considered the main line. Today the names are synonymous and are used interchangeably or combined as "Volga-Benko Gambit". The main line continues 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 Bxa6 followed by Black fianchettoing

612-572: The King's Gambit and the Queen's Gambit, as well as the then unknown opening 1.d4 c5. Reinganum, who studied chess to alleviate his depression , conceived the name "Ben-Oni" as a nickname for his writings rather than the name of an opening. In the 1843 Staunton – Saint Amant match, Saint Amant met 1.d4 with 1...c5 in the second and fourth games. Saint Amant wrote in Le Palamède (1843): "This opening

646-555: The Poisoned Knight Variation where after 5.Nc3 e6 6.e4 exd5 and 7.e5, Black sacrifices a knight for a large central pawn majority and excellent spatial advantage with good attacking chances; and the River Styx Attack, which continues 5.Nc3 Ba6 6.e4 d6 7.f4 g6 8.e5. This leads to a sharp and complicated pawn sacrifice by White, where White often delays or even prevents Black from castling, and has

680-574: The bishop is developed to d6 rather than g7. This opening was invented in 1982 by Rolf Olav Martens , who gave it its name because of the sinuous movement of the bishop—in Martens's original concept, Black follows up with 6...Bc7 and sometimes ...Ba5—and because the Swedish word for "snake", orm , was an anagram of his initials. Normunds Miezis has been a regular exponent of this variation. Aside from Martens's plan, 6...0-0 intending ...Re8, ...Bf8 and

714-452: The f8-bishop. (Black players leery of the double-fianchetto system, where White plays g3 and b3 and fianchettos both bishops, have preferred 5...g6 intending 6.b3 Bg7 7.Bb2 Nxa6! The point is that it is awkward for White to meet the threat of ...Nb4, hitting d5 and a2, when Nc3 may often be met by ...Nfxd5 because of the latent pin down the long diagonal . Another idea is 5...e6 !? ; after 6.Nc3 exd5 7.Nxd5 Be7 8.Nxe7 Qxe7 9.e3 0-0 10.Nf3

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748-571: The first player known to have used it successfully. In the Czech Benoni, also known as the Hromadka Benoni, after Karel Hromádka , Black plays 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5. The Czech Benoni is more solid than the Modern Benoni, but also more passive. The middlegames arising from this line are characterized by much maneuvering; in most lines, Black will look to break with ...b7–b5 or ...f7–f5 after due preparation, while White may play Nc3, e4, h3, Bd3, Nf3, and g4, in order to gain space on

782-413: The game due to the material deficit. Because of the risk involved, real sacrifices are also called speculative sacrifices . The tactical sham sacrifices can be categorized further by the mechanism by which the sacrifice is made. Some sacrifices may fall into more than one category. Another way to classify sacrifices is to distinguish between forcing and non-forcing sacrifices. The former type leave

816-719: The king cannot take the queen because it would have been in check from the knight on h3. Having forced the rook out of a position where it was defending the f-file and into a position where it blocked the king from making any move, the black knight delivers a smothered mate by 23... Nf2# . A Philidor sacrifice , recommended and practiced by Philidor , is the sacrifice of a minor piece for one or two pawns for greater pawn mobility as compensation. An example of this real, strategic/positional sacrifice can occur in Petrov's Defense after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 where White elects 4.Nxf7 Kxf7 ( diagram ). Another openings example

850-415: The line 7...Bxf1 8.Kxf1 g6 9.g3 Bg7 10.Kg2. If White avoids this by fianchettoing the bishop, it will be in a rather passive position, being blocked by White's own pawn on d5. Apart from this, Black also obtains fast development, good control of the a1–h8 diagonal, and can exert pressure down the half-open a- and b-files whereby White's a- and b-pawns can become vulnerable. These benefits can last well into

884-522: The move 1...c5 in The Chess-player's Handbook (1847, page 382). Subsequently, the name "Benoni" came to be associated with the opening 1.d4 c5, and later with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 and other openings in which Black counters d2–d4 with an early ....c7–c5, without first having played ...d7–d5. The Old Benoni Defense starts with 1.d4 c5. White usually replies 2.d5 in order to gain space , as 2.dxc5 e6 leads to no advantage, and 2.e4 transposes to

918-432: The move 10...Rxa6 is a strong exchange sacrifice giving Black enough compensation.) Black's compensation for the pawn takes several forms. First, White, who is already behind in development , must solve the problem of developing the f1-bishop. After 6.Nc3 d6, if White plays 7.e4, then Black will respond 7...Bxf1, and after recapturing with the king, White must spend time castling artificially with g3 and Kg2, as in

952-504: The opponent with no option but acceptance, typically because not doing so would leave them behind in material with no compensation. Non-forcing sacrifices, on the other hand, give the opponent a choice. A common error is to not recognize when a particular sacrifice can be safely declined with no ill-effects. In the diagram, GM Aronian has mistakenly played 24. exd4 ?? , opening up the e-file for Black's rook. After Svidler played 24... Re1+ ! , Aronian resigned, because Black's move forces

986-454: The reply 25.Rxe1 (or 25.Qf1 Qxf1 # ), after which White's queen is undefended and therefore lost. This particular type of sacrifice has also been called the "Hook and Ladder trick", for the white queen is precariously at the top of the "ladder", while the rook is at the bottom, supporting it. Black played 1... Qxg3 ? and White drew with 2. Qg8+! Kxg8 (on any other move Black will get mated) 3. Rxg7+! . White intends to keep checking on

1020-447: The sacrifice is sound or not, and whether to accept it. Sacrificing one's queen (the most valuable piece), or a string of pieces, adds to the surprise, and such games can be awarded brilliancy prizes . Rudolf Spielmann proposed a division between sham and real sacrifices: In compensation for a real sacrifice, the player receives dynamic, positional, or other non-material advantages which they must capitalize on, or risk losing

1054-447: The sacrificed pawn, Black has obtained a semi-open file , a diagonal, an outpost on d5 and saddled White with a backward pawn on d3. The game was eventually drawn. The following example features a forced bishop sacrifice by White. White can force mate in two moves in the diagram at left as follows: 1. Bg6+ ! hxg6 2. Qxg6 # In this position, Black moves 22... Qg1+! forcing the white rook to take black's queen by 23. Rxg1 ;

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1088-560: The seventh rank , and if Black ever captures the rook it is stalemate. This save from Evans has been dubbed "The Swindle of the Century". White's rook is known as a desperado . This time Reshevsky is at the receiving end of a sacrifice. White has just played h2–h4. If Black takes the knight he has to give up his own knight on f6 to avoid mate on h7. Instead, he simply ignored the bait and continued developing. In this game Black played 14... d4! 15. Nxd4 Nd5 . In exchange for

1122-513: Was its eponym, Pal Benko . Many of the world's strongest players have used it at one time or another, including former world champions Viswanathan Anand , Garry Kasparov , Veselin Topalov , Mikhail Tal , and Magnus Carlsen ; and grandmasters Vasyl Ivanchuk , Michael Adams , Alexei Shirov , Boris Gelfand , and Evgeny Bareev . It is a popular opening at amateur level, where it is considered to offer Black good practical chances of playing for

1156-481: Was published in the second 1946 issue of the magazine Shakhmaty v SSSR . Beginning in the late 1960s, this opening idea was also promoted by Hungarian-American grandmaster Pal Benko , who provided many new suggestions and published his book The Benko Gambit in 1974. The name Benko Gambit stuck and is particularly used in English-speaking countries. In his 1974 book, Benko drew a distinction between

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