Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
1,865,184 games: White 48.0% / Draw 4.6% / Black 47.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,369,9491.4M | ||
| 355,336355K | ||
| Kingside Move Order | 53,29953K | |
| 28,56529K | ||
| 12,58413K | ||
| 12,31212K | ||
| 12,16212K | ||
| 6,6666,666 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.63 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. Nc3 e6 4. e4 d6 5. Nge2 exd5 6. Nxd5 Nxd5 7. Qxd5 Nc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 46% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 251K | |
| 1400–1799 | 855K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 301K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,637 |
Master games
- Gelfand, B. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Aronian, L. – Zvjaginsev, V.
- Grachev, B. – Vitiugov, N.
- Robson, R. – Saric, I.
- Dreev, A. – Saric, I.
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: Benoni-Indian Defense (ECO A43, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, reached after 1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 (2 moves).
In 1,865,184 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.0%, Black 47.4% and 4.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. c4, in 73% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order and Benoni Defense: Woozle.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense
3. Nc3 scores best for White: 53.0%, with White winning 50.5% and Black 44.5% of 355K games. The most played answer, 3. c4, scores lowest: 49.8% in 1.4M games. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. Nc3.
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
The Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense has stayed between 0.068% and 0.081% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.074% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.074% | 26,366 |
| 2017 | 0.08% | 44,245 |
| 2018 | 0.081% | 63,863 |
| 2019 | 0.079% | 98,117 |
| 2020 | 0.074% | 216,371 |
| 2021 | 0.068% | 264,588 |
| 2022 | 0.069% | 259,526 |
| 2023 | 0.069% | 259,291 |
| 2024 | 0.072% | 259,593 |
| 2025 | 0.074% | 256,968 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.076% | 83,345 |
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 (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense (A43)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-benoni-indian-defense