Caissa Codex
A65

Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line, with Bg5 8…exd5 9. exd5

Chess diagram: Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line, with Bg5 after 9. exd5

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Statistics from Lichess

438 games: White 41.6% / Draw 5.3% / Black 53.2%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
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Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026

Engine evaluation

−0.24 The position is about equal

Best play: 9... Re8+ 10. Be2 a6 11. a4 Nbd7 12. Kf1 Ne5 13. g4 Bd7 14. Kg2

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 Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line, with Bg5, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Qd2 exd5 9. exd5 (9 moves).

In 438 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 41.6%, Black 53.2% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Re8+, in 77% of those games.

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Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line, with Bg5 (A65)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-kings-pawn-line-with-bg5-3

https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-kings-pawn-line-with-bg5-3