Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation
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Statistics from Lichess
112,811 games: White 47.8% / Draw 5.0% / Black 47.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 67,16567K | ||
| 17,62818K | ||
| Benoni Defense: Benoni-Staunton Gambit | 8,6878,687 | |
| 5,5485,548 | ||
| 3,2013,201 | ||
| 2,3022,302 | ||
| 2,2952,295 | ||
| 2,0802,080 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.55 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 49.7% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e4 fxe4 5. Nge2 g6 6. d6 Nc6 7. Ng3 exd6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation (ECO A43, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, reached after 1. d4 c5 2. d5 f5 (2 moves).
In 112,811 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.8%, Black 47.2% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. c4, in 60% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Benoni Defense: Benoni-Staunton Gambit.
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How to play against the Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation
3. e4 (Benoni Defense: Benoni-Staunton Gambit) scores best for White: 55.2%, with White winning 52.8% and Black 42.4% of 8,687 games. The most played answer, 3. c4, scores lowest: 48.9% in 67K games. Stockfish's first choice is 3. Nc3.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation (A43)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/benoni-defense-old-benoni-mujannah-formation