Caissa Codex
A57

Benko Gambit: Zaitsev Variation, Nescafe Frappe Attack

Chess diagram: Benko Gambit: Zaitsev Variation, Nescafe Frappe Attack after 7. Nb5

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.

Statistics from Lichess

41,745 games: White 58.8% / Draw 4.2% / Black 37.0%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
32,26232K
6,1066,106
2,2292,229
512512
187187
146146
126126
8787

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026

Engine evaluation

0.00 The position is about equal

Best play: 7... d6 8. a4 g6 9. Bd3 Bg7 10. Nf3 O-O 11. O-O Na6 12. Qe2

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

Overview

Benko Gambit: Zaitsev Variation, Nescafe Frappe Attack (ECO A57, Flank Openings) is a gambit in the Benko Gambit: Zaitsev System, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. Nc3 axb5 6. e4 b4 7. Nb5 (7 moves).

In 41,745 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 58.8%, Black 37.0% and 4.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…d6, in 77% of those games.

It continues into one named variation, Benko Gambit: Nescafe Frappe Attack.

Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.

Write a description or report a mistake
What would you like to send?

Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links). Submissions are reviewed before publishing.

How to play against the Benko Gambit: Zaitsev Variation, Nescafe Frappe Attack

The most played answer, 7…d6, also scores best for Black: 43.7%, with Black winning 41.3% and White 53.9% of 32K games. Of the main answers, 7…Nxe4 scores lowest: 14.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…d6.

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

Variations (1)

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Benko Gambit: Zaitsev Variation, Nescafe Frappe Attack (A57)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benko-gambit-zaitsev-variation-nescafe-frappe-attack

https://chesscodex.org/openings/benko-gambit-zaitsev-variation-nescafe-frappe-attack