Scotch Game: Benima Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
1,933,321 games: White 53.3% / Draw 4.4% / Black 42.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 980,552981K | ||
| 643,393643K | ||
| 265,989266K | ||
| 26,57027K | ||
| 3,4903,490 | ||
| 3,3243,324 | ||
| 2,3582,358 | ||
| 1,8411,841 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.36 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 d6 8. Bf4 Nd7 9. a4 Nde5
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 46% under 1400, 43% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 188K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.2M | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 60K | |
| Masters, over the board | 199 |
Master games
- Navara, D. – Laznicka, V.
- Van Foreest, J. – Ernst, S.
- Jakubowski, K. – Plat, V.
- Vajda, L. – Bryzgalin, K.
- Gokerkan, C. K. – Plat, 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 27, 2026
Overview
Scotch Game: Benima Defense (ECO C44, Open Games) is a variation of the Italian Game: Hungarian Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4 (4 moves).
In 1,933,321 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.3%, Black 42.2% and 4.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nxd4, in 51% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Italian Game: Hungarian Defense, Tartakower 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 Scotch Game: Benima Defense
5. c3 scores best for White: 59.9%, with White winning 57.9% and Black 38.2% of 643K games. The most played, 5. Nxd4, scores 54.2% in 981K games, and 5. O-O scores lowest: 52.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Nxd4.
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
The Scotch Game: Benima Defense peaked in 2017 at 0.088% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.074% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.078% | 27,765 |
| 2017 | 0.088% | 48,169 |
| 2018 | 0.087% | 68,131 |
| 2019 | 0.08% | 99,641 |
| 2020 | 0.076% | 223,753 |
| 2021 | 0.072% | 280,699 |
| 2022 | 0.072% | 268,888 |
| 2023 | 0.074% | 277,147 |
| 2024 | 0.075% | 268,187 |
| 2025 | 0.074% | 256,150 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.073% | 80,239 |
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)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Scotch Game: Benima Defense (C44)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/scotch-game-benima-defense