Benko Gambit: Zaitsev System
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
474,463 games: White 43.8% / Draw 5.3% / Black 50.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 243,576244K | ||
| 120,869121K | ||
| 77,78078K | ||
| 14,09514K | ||
| 12,56413K | ||
| 4,1304,130 | ||
| 764764 | ||
| 331331 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.48 White is slightly better
Best play: 5... axb5 6. Nxb5 e6 7. dxe6 fxe6 8. e3 Nc6 9. Nf3 Be7 10. Be2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 50% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2,067 | |
| 1400–1799 | 54K | |
| 1800–2199 | 335K | |
| 2200 and up | 94K | |
| Masters, over the board | 597 |
Master games
- Ponomariov, R. – Bareev, E.
- Sokolov, I. – Shirov, A.
- Ponomariov, R. – Tregubov, P. V.
- Dreev, A. – Bareev, E.
- Sokolov, I. – Khalifman, A.
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: Zaitsev System (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. Nc3 (5 moves).
In 474,463 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.8%, Black 50.9% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…axb5, in 51% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Benko Gambit: Zaitsev Variation, Nescafe Frappe Attack. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Benko Gambit: Zaitsev System
The most played answer, 5…axb5, also scores best for Black: 55.6%, with Black winning 53.0% and White 41.9% of 244K games. Of the main answers, 5…d6 scores lowest: 51.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 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: Zaitsev System peaked in 2018 at 0.024% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.019% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.021% | 7,509 |
| 2017 | 0.024% | 12,940 |
| 2018 | 0.024% | 19,162 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 26,994 |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 57,605 |
| 2021 | 0.016% | 64,180 |
| 2022 | 0.017% | 63,276 |
| 2023 | 0.017% | 64,244 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 63,520 |
| 2025 | 0.019% | 64,365 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.02% | 21,898 |
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 (1)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benko Gambit: Zaitsev System (A57)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benko-gambit-zaitsev-system