Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order
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Statistics from Lichess
869,691 games: White 47.7% / Draw 5.6% / Black 46.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 284,503285K | ||
| 268,067268K | ||
| Indian Defense: Pseudo-Benko | 177,274177K | |
| 114,519115K | ||
| Benoni Defense: Hawk Variation | 5,5565,556 | |
| 5,1865,186 | ||
| 4,6184,618 | ||
| 2,6662,666 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.49 White is slightly better
Best play: 3... b5 4. Bg5 b4 5. Bxf6 exf6 6. Qd3 d6 7. a3 bxa3 8. Nxa3
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 54% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 59% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 16K | |
| 1400–1799 | 109K | |
| 1800–2199 | 480K | |
| 2200 and up | 312K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,312 |
Master games
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Matlakov, M.
- Radjabov, T. – Bologan, V.
- Kramnik, V. – Leko, P.
- Sokolov, I. – Topalov, V.
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, Kingside Move Order (ECO A43, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. Nf3 (3 moves).
In 869,691 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.7%, Black 46.6% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…d6, in 33% 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 Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order
3…g6 scores best for Black: 50.6%, with Black winning 47.7% and White 46.4% of 115K games. The most played answer, 3…d6, scores lowest: 48.9% in 285K games. Stockfish's first choice is 3…b5.
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 Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order peaked in 2018 at 0.044% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.033% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.035% | 12,497 |
| 2017 | 0.038% | 20,826 |
| 2018 | 0.044% | 34,620 |
| 2019 | 0.041% | 51,464 |
| 2020 | 0.039% | 114,389 |
| 2021 | 0.031% | 120,964 |
| 2022 | 0.032% | 119,446 |
| 2023 | 0.032% | 119,543 |
| 2024 | 0.031% | 112,270 |
| 2025 | 0.033% | 113,649 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.033% | 36,239 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order (A43)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-benoni-indian-defense-kingside-move-order