Benko Gambit Accepted: Modern Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
294,296 games: White 47.1% / Draw 6.3% / Black 46.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 105,765106K | ||
| 98,24098K | ||
| 51,27151K | ||
| 21,17921K | ||
| 12,71313K | ||
| 3,2603,260 | ||
| 893893 | ||
| 430430 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.53 White is slightly better
Best play: 5... axb5 6. Bxb5 Bb7 7. Nc3 Qa5 8. Bd2 Qb6 9. a4 Nxd5 10. Nf3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 947 | |
| 1400–1799 | 26K | |
| 1800–2199 | 177K | |
| 2200 and up | 95K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,931 |
Master games
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Abdusattorov, N.
- So, W. – Praggnanandhaa, R.
- So, W. – Xiong, J.
- Grischuk, A. – Xiong, J.
- Aronian, L. – Bareev, E.
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: Modern Variation (ECO A57, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the Benko Gambit Accepted, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. e3 (5 moves).
In 294,296 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.1%, Black 46.5% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…g6, in 36% of those games.
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: Modern Variation
The most played answer, 5…g6, also scores best for Black: 50.4%, with Black winning 47.2% and White 46.3% of 106K games. Of the main answers, 5…e6 scores lowest: 46.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…axb5.
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: Modern Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.014% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.011%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,867 |
| 2017 | 0.011% | 5,997 |
| 2018 | 0.013% | 10,284 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 14,491 |
| 2020 | 0.01% | 30,017 |
| 2021 | 0.0088% | 34,586 |
| 2022 | 0.01% | 37,665 |
| 2023 | 0.012% | 43,496 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 44,314 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 47,539 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.015% | 15,901 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benko Gambit Accepted: Modern Variation (A57)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benko-gambit-accepted-modern-variation