Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, New York Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
185,460 games: White 51.6% / Draw 6.0% / Black 42.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 170,078170K | ||
| 10,95011K | ||
| 2,2562,256 | ||
| 425425 | ||
| 424424 | ||
| 259259 | ||
| 188188 | ||
| 159159 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.62 White is slightly better
Best play: 8... O-O 9. Be3 b5 10. e5 dxe5 11. Bxb5 e4 12. Ne5 Nh5 13. Nc4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 433 | |
| 1400–1799 | 11K | |
| 1800–2199 | 101K | |
| 2200 and up | 76K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,289 |
Master games
- Mamedyarov, S. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Rapport, R.
- Topalov, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- So, W. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Karpov, A. – 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: Classical Variation, New York Variation (ECO A70, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. e4 Bg7 8. h3 (8 moves).
In 185,460 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.6%, Black 42.4% and 6.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…O-O, in 92% 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: Classical Variation, New York Variation
8…a6 scores best for Black: 46.7%, with Black winning 43.8% and White 50.4% of 11K games. The most played answer, 8…O-O, scores lowest: 45.5% in 170K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8…O-O.
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: Classical Variation, New York Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.011% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0071% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0085% | 3,024 |
| 2017 | 0.009% | 4,942 |
| 2018 | 0.011% | 8,282 |
| 2019 | 0.0091% | 11,330 |
| 2020 | 0.0084% | 24,530 |
| 2021 | 0.0062% | 24,422 |
| 2022 | 0.0065% | 24,526 |
| 2023 | 0.0065% | 24,547 |
| 2024 | 0.0068% | 24,292 |
| 2025 | 0.0071% | 24,489 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0073% | 8,025 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, New York Variation (A70)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-classical-variation-new-york-variation