Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line, with Nge2 8…exd5 9. cxd5
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Statistics from Lichess
22,072 games: White 51.2% / Draw 5.4% / Black 43.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 9,4769,476 | ||
| 3,9953,995 | ||
| 3,8673,867 | ||
| 1,9521,952 | ||
| 1,5591,559 | ||
| 408408 | ||
| 197197 | ||
| 128128 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... a6 10. a4 h5 11. Bg5 Qe8 12. Be2 Nh7 13. Be3 h4 14. Nf1
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 Nge2 (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. Nge2 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Ng3 exd5 9. cxd5 (9 moves).
In 22,072 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.2%, Black 43.4% and 5.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…a6, in 43% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 9. cxd5
9…Na6 scores best for Black: 53.2%, with Black winning 50.5% and White 44.1% of 1,559 games. The most played, 9…a6, scores 45.5% in 9,476 games, and 9…Nbd7 scores lowest: 43.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 9…a6.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line, with Nge2 (A65)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-kings-pawn-line-with-nge2-2