Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Full Line
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Statistics from Lichess
43,085 games: White 48.6% / Draw 5.7% / Black 45.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 16,03016K | ||
| Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Argentine Counterattack | 15,54116K | |
| 7,2827,282 | ||
| 1,3171,317 | ||
| 739739 | ||
| 641641 | ||
| 276276 | ||
| 264264 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.51 White is slightly better
Best play: 10... Bg4 11. Bf4 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Qe7 13. e5 dxe5 14. Bg5 Nbd7 15. d6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Full Line (ECO A74, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Main Line, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Be2 O-O 9. O-O a6 10. a4 (10 moves).
In 43,085 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.6%, Black 45.7% and 5.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 10…Re8, in 37% of those games.
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How to play against the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Full Line
10…Bg4 (Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Argentine Counterattack) scores best for Black: 51.3%, with Black winning 48.1% and White 45.5% of 16K games. The most played, 10…Re8, scores 48.6% in 16K games, and 10…Nbd7 scores lowest: 45.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 10…Bg4.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Full Line (A74)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-classical-variation-full-line