Benoni Defense: Old Benoni 2. d5 d6
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Statistics from Lichess
4,081,674 games: White 49.6% / Draw 4.5% / Black 45.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,707,9472.7M | ||
| 733,185733K | ||
| 356,221356K | ||
| 155,440155K | ||
| 39,20139K | ||
| 26,01826K | ||
| 25,24825K | ||
| 10,29610K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.62 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. e4 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. dxe6 fxe6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Bf4 Be7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 48% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 279K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 368K | |
| Masters, over the board | 834 |
Master games
- Wang, Y. – Malakhov, V.
- Ni, H. – Malakhov, V.
- Moiseenko, A. – Zvjaginsev, V.
- Bacrot, E. – Zvjaginsev, V.
- Akopian, V. – Zvjaginsev, 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 26, 2026
Overview
Benoni Defense: Old Benoni (ECO A43, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, reached after 1. d4 c5 2. d5 d6 (2 moves).
In 4,081,674 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.6%, Black 45.9% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. c4, in 66% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Schmid Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 2…d6
3. Nc3 scores best for White: 55.2%, with White winning 52.8% and Black 42.5% of 356K games. The most played, 3. c4, scores 51.7% in 2.7M games, and 3. e4 scores lowest: 51.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. e4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.17% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.13%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.13% | 48,198 |
| 2017 | 0.14% | 74,969 |
| 2018 | 0.15% | 117,498 |
| 2019 | 0.15% | 182,808 |
| 2020 | 0.15% | 429,403 |
| 2021 | 0.15% | 576,848 |
| 2022 | 0.16% | 597,728 |
| 2023 | 0.16% | 605,632 |
| 2024 | 0.17% | 594,682 |
| 2025 | 0.17% | 594,851 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.17% | 190,822 |
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense: Old Benoni (A43)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-old-benoni-3