Benoni Defense 6. Nc3 g6
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Statistics from Lichess
601,949 games: White 48.9% / Draw 5.5% / Black 45.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Classical Variation | 212,910213K | |
| 88,90689K | ||
| Knight's Tour Variation | 80,56081K | |
| Fianchetto Variation | 78,03778K | |
| Uhlmann Variation | 76,47776K | |
| 48,52649K | ||
| 7,0307,030 | ||
| 3,3493,349 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.66 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. h3 Bg7 8. e4 O-O 9. Be3 b5 10. e5 dxe5 11. Bxb5 e4
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 50% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2,387 | |
| 1400–1799 | 44K | |
| 1800–2199 | 316K | |
| 2200 and up | 251K | |
| Masters, over the board | 10K |
Master games
- So, W. – Caruana, F.
- Nakamura, H. – Caruana, F.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Caruana, F.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Caruana, F.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
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
Benoni Defense (ECO A61, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Indian Defense: Normal Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 (6 moves).
In 601,949 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 45.6% and 5.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. e4, in 35% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Benoni Defense: Classical Variation and Benoni Defense: Uhlmann Variation. In all, 9 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 answer 6…g6
7. Bf4 scores best for White: 56.2%, with White winning 53.4% and Black 41.0% of 89K games. The most played, 7. e4, scores 48.8% in 213K games, and 7. Bg5 scores lowest: 46.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. h3.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.022% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.029% (its peak: 0.034% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.029% | 10,295 |
| 2017 | 0.029% | 15,818 |
| 2018 | 0.034% | 26,464 |
| 2019 | 0.03% | 37,393 |
| 2020 | 0.028% | 80,700 |
| 2021 | 0.021% | 82,746 |
| 2022 | 0.021% | 78,466 |
| 2023 | 0.021% | 80,527 |
| 2024 | 0.022% | 77,760 |
| 2025 | 0.022% | 76,821 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.022% | 24,483 |
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 (4)
All 9 named lines that continue from here
- A70 Classical Variation 7 moves
- A61 Fianchetto Variation 7 moves
- A61 Knight's Tour Variation 7 moves
- A61 Uhlmann Variation 7 moves
- A71 Averbakh-Grivas Attack 8 moves
- A70 New York Variation 8 moves
- A70 Traditional Variation 8 moves
- A75 Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Argentine Counterattack 10 moves
- A78 Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense 10 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense (A61)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-2