Chessstack

Benko Gambit Accepted: Fianchetto Variation

ECO code
A58
Moves
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About this variation

White accepts the pawn and fianchettoes with g3 and Bg2, keeping the light-squared bishop and a safe king.

The Fianchetto Variation is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. g3 d6 8. Bg2 Bg7 9. Nf3. White keeps the light-squared bishop on g2, where it defends the queenside and the king, and castles normally. It is one of the most solid ways to accept the gambit.

Black's plans are the same as in other Benko lines: ...O-O, ...Nbd7, ...Qa5 or ...Qb6, and ...Rfb8, with pressure on the a- and b-files. Because White's bishop stays on g2, Black cannot trade it with ...Bxf1, so the pressure relies more on the rooks and the queen.

White's plans include O-O, Rb1 and Qc2 to defend b2, Nd2-c4 to pressure d6 and block the files, and e4 to prepare a central break with e5. White aims to consolidate and use the extra pawn in the long run.

Black's ideas include ...Ne8-c7-b5 to put pressure on c3, ...Nb6 to hit c4 and a4, and ...Ng4-e5 in some lines to centralize the knight. Black wants to keep the pieces active and the pressure constant.

A common mistake for Black is to allow White's Nd2-c4 without challenge, which can block the queenside files. A common mistake for White is to play too slowly and allow Black's pieces to dominate the queenside.

The Fianchetto Variation suits White players who want a safe king and a solid position, and Black players who are comfortable in long positional fights.

One concrete continuation is 9...Nbd7 10. O-O O-O 11. Rb1 Qa5 12. Qc2 Rfb8, the typical Benko set-up. White then often plays Bd2 and b3, defending the queenside, while Black looks for ...Ng4-e5 or ...Nb6 to increase the pressure.

It is one of the main lines of the Benko Gambit.

Benko Gambit Accepted: Fianchetto Variation statistics

The Benko Gambit Accepted: Fianchetto Variation was reached in 5,183 master games (<0.1% of all master games), and White scored 54% from there. On Lichess it comes up in <0.1% of games, most often among players rated 2201–2400 (<0.1%).

Master games

5,183

<0.1% of games between players rated 2500+

Club games on Lichess

5,054

<0.1% of games between players rated up to 2400

White wins Draws Black wins

How often it comes up, by rating

  • 1601–1800 <0.1%
  • 1801–2000 <0.1%
  • 2001–2200 <0.1%
  • 2201–2400 <0.1%

Most common next moves in master games

MoveGamesPlayedResults
9... O-O2,86155%
9... Nbd71,99338%
9... Nfd73166.1%
9... Qa5130.3%

Famous players with the most games here

  • Alexandra Botez 49 games
  • Magnus Carlsen 6 games

Master games from the Chessmont database (CC BY-SA 4.0). Club games from the Lichess open database.

Other Benko Gambit variations