Benko Gambit Accepted
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Statistics from Lichess
2,333,405 games: White 45.2% / Draw 6.1% / Black 48.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Fully Accepted Variation | 1,158,9321.2M | |
| Benko Gambit: Zaitsev System | 439,970440K | |
| Pawn Return Variation | 349,874350K | |
| Modern Variation | 290,449290K | |
| Dlugy Variation | 70,37870K | |
| 4,9554,955 | ||
| 4,3154,315 | ||
| 2,7032,703 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.55 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. e3 Bb7 6. Nc3 Qa5 7. Bd2 axb5 8. Bxb5 Qb6 9. Nf3 Nxd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 52% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 6,288 | |
| 1400–1799 | 194K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.5M | |
| 2200 and up | 702K | |
| Masters, over the board | 13K |
Master games
- Gelfand, B. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Bologan, V.
- Kramnik, V. – Topalov, V.
- Gelfand, B. – Carlsen, M.
- Radjabov, T. – Ivanchuk, V.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Overview
Benko Gambit Accepted (ECO A57, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the Benko Gambit, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 (4 moves).
In 2,333,405 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.2%, Black 48.6% and 6.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. bxa6, in 50% of those games.
It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are Benko Gambit Accepted: Fully Accepted Variation and Benko Gambit: Zaitsev System. In all, 15 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Benko Gambit Accepted
5. e3 (Modern Variation) scores best for White: 50.4%, with White winning 47.2% and Black 46.4% of 290K games. The most played, 5. bxa6, scores 47.7% in 1.2M games, and 5. Nc3 scores lowest: 46.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. e3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Benko Gambit Accepted has lost ground since 2016: 0.084% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.11% (its peak: 0.13% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.11% | 40,833 |
| 2017 | 0.12% | 68,091 |
| 2018 | 0.13% | 104,348 |
| 2019 | 0.11% | 142,549 |
| 2020 | 0.1% | 299,473 |
| 2021 | 0.084% | 326,776 |
| 2022 | 0.085% | 318,108 |
| 2023 | 0.083% | 312,907 |
| 2024 | 0.082% | 293,008 |
| 2025 | 0.084% | 290,231 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.087% | 95,570 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (5)
All 15 named lines that continue from here
- A57 Dlugy Variation 5 moves
- A58 Fully Accepted Variation 5 moves
- A57 Modern Variation 5 moves
- A57 Pawn Return Variation 5 moves
- A57 Benko Gambit: Zaitsev System 5 moves
- A59 Benko Gambit 9 moves
- A58 Benko Gambit Accepted: Central Storming Variation 7 moves
- A58 Benko Gambit Accepted: Fianchetto Variation 9 moves
- A59 Benko Gambit Accepted: King Walk Variation 11 moves
- A59 Benko Gambit Accepted: Yugoslav 7 moves
- A59 Benko Gambit Accepted: Yugoslav 9 moves
- A58 Benko Gambit: Fianchetto Variation 8 moves
- A58 Benko Gambit: Nd2 Variation 8 moves
- A57 Benko Gambit: Zaitsev Variation, Nescafe Frappe Attack 7 moves
- A57 Benko Gambit: Nescafe Frappe Attack 8 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benko Gambit Accepted (A57)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benko-gambit-accepted