Chessstack

Benko Gambit Accepted: Fully Accepted Variation

ECO code
A58
Moves
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About this variation

White takes both pawns with 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6, and Black recaptures with the bishop. It is the main line and the clearest test of Black's idea.

The Fully Accepted Variation is 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6. White takes both pawns, and Black recaptures with 5...Bxa6, or first plays 5...g6 and takes on a6 later. Black is a pawn down but gets open a- and b-files, a strong light-squared bishop on a6 and quick development.

Black's standard set-up is ...g6, ...Bg7, ...d6, ...O-O, ...Nbd7, ...Qa5 and ...Rfb8, with the rooks on the a- and b-files and the queen and bishop pressing against a2, b2 and c3. Black often trades the light-squared bishops with ...Bxf1 to make it harder for White to castle and to reduce White's defensive resources.

White's main plans are to complete development safely, often with Nc3, e4, Kxf1 after the bishop trade, g3 and Kg2, or with Nf3, g3 and Bg2 in the fianchetto lines. White aims to consolidate the extra pawn and eventually use the passed a-pawn or the central majority. If White can neutralize the pressure, the extra pawn usually decides.

Black's compensation is long-term. Even in the endgame, the pressure on the a- and b-files often ties White down, so Black is happy to trade queens, which is rare for a gambit. That is the main difference from most gambits, where Black must attack quickly.

A common mistake for Black is to try to win the pawn back too early, which can release the pressure. A common mistake for White is to play passively and let Black's pieces take over the queenside. White should look for central play with e4-e5 to change the course of the game.

The Fully Accepted Variation suits Black players who like positional pressure and are comfortable being a pawn down for a long time. White players who accept the gambit need to know the main plans, since natural moves can leave White tied down.

One concrete line is 5...Bxa6 6. Nc3 d6 7. e4 Bxf1 8. Kxf1 g6 9. g3 Bg7 10. Kg2 O-O 11. Nf3, when White has castled by hand and Black continues with ...Nbd7, ...Qa5 and ...Rfb8. The fight over the queenside files decides most games from here.

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

Benko Gambit Accepted: Fully Accepted Variation statistics

The Benko Gambit Accepted: Fully Accepted Variation was reached in 47,469 master games (0.2% of all master games), and White scored 53% from there. On Lichess it comes up in <0.1% of games, most often among players rated 2201–2400 (<0.1%).

Master games

47,469

0.2% of games between players rated 2500+

Club games on Lichess

40,115

<0.1% of games between players rated up to 2400

White wins Draws Black wins

How often it comes up, by rating

  • 1201–1400 <0.1%
  • 1401–1600 <0.1%
  • 1601–1800 <0.1%
  • 1801–2000 <0.1%
  • 2001–2200 <0.1%
  • 2201–2400 <0.1%

Most common next moves in master games

MoveGamesPlayedResults
5... g628,84361%
5... Bxa613,48228%
5... e63,7217.8%
5... d61,3422.8%
5... Nxa6580.1%

Famous players with the most games here

  • Alexandra Botez 140 games
  • Chessbrah 40 games
  • Magnus Carlsen 19 games
  • Fabiano Caruana 16 games
  • Anatoly Karpov 15 games
  • Dommaraju Gukesh 13 games

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

Other Benko Gambit variations