Caissa Codex
A59

Benko Gambit Accepted: King Walk Variation

Chess diagram: Benko Gambit Accepted: King Walk Variation after 11. Kg2

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Statistics from Lichess

179,120 games: White 46.8% / Draw 7.9% / Black 45.3%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
127,352127K
18,55019K
11,95212K
10,49810K
4,3144,314
2,3472,347
1,3111,311
625625

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.79 White is better

Best play: 11... Qb6 12. a4 Na6 13. Re1 Rfb8 14. Ra3 Nd7 15. Re2 Nc7 16. h4

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 97
1400–1799 6,291
1800–2199 102K
2200 and up 71K
Masters, over the board 1,371

Master games

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 27, 2026

Overview

Benko Gambit Accepted: King Walk Variation (ECO A59, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the Benko Gambit Accepted: Fully Accepted Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. Nf3 d6 8. e4 Bxf1 9. Kxf1 Bg7 10. g3 O-O 11. Kg2 (11 moves).

In 179,120 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.8%, Black 45.3% and 7.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 11…Nbd7, in 71% of those games.

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How to play against the Benko Gambit Accepted: King Walk Variation

11…Qb6 scores best for Black: 51.8%, with Black winning 47.4% and White 43.8% of 19K games. The most played, 11…Nbd7, scores 49.2% in 127K games, and 11…Na6 scores lowest: 48.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 11…Qb6.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: King Walk Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0061% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.0091%.

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20160.0091%3,239
20170.01%5,481
20180.0096%7,578
20190.0082%10,222
20200.0081%23,665
20210.0068%26,657
20220.0069%26,002
20230.0063%23,717
20240.006%21,433
20250.0061%21,044
2026 (Jan–Apr)0.0064%7,032

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

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 5…g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. Nf3 d6 8. e4 Bxf1 9. Kxf1 Bg7 10. g3 O-O 11. Kg2, the position after Benko Gambit Accepted: Fully Accepted Variation also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Benko Gambit Accepted: King Walk Variation (A59)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benko-gambit-accepted-king-walk-variation

https://chesscodex.org/openings/benko-gambit-accepted-king-walk-variation