Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line, with Bg5
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Statistics from Lichess
74,692 games: White 50.2% / Draw 5.2% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 26,00926K | ||
| 13,57414K | ||
| 12,20712K | ||
| 9,7749,774 | ||
| 4,1534,153 | ||
| 2,8522,852 | ||
| 1,3541,354 | ||
| 1,3191,319 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.08 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... e6 8. Qd2 exd5 9. cxd5 a6 10. a4 Re8 11. Nge2 Nbd7 12. Ng3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line, with Bg5 (ECO A65, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Indian Defense: Normal Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 (7 moves).
In 74,692 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.2%, Black 44.6% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…e6, in 35% of those games.
It continues into one named variation.
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: King's Pawn Line, with Bg5
7…Na6 scores best for Black: 48.9%, with Black winning 46.4% and White 48.6% of 4,153 games. The most played, 7…e6, scores 47.2% in 26K games, and 7…Nbd7 scores lowest: 46.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…e6.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line, with Bg5 (A65)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-kings-pawn-line-with-bg5