@Fernando Semprun

"but this ending is a little depressing for my taste and Novikov (remember 36.h4! N(!!!) in the Grunfeld) may spoil even this ending"    

Could you pls put in the firet 35 moves, I`m just curious.

[quote author=Fernando Semprun  link=1126944305/0#1 date=1126967808]That is also Ernst-Stellwagen, Leuuwarden 2003 (CBM 96).

To me, playing an ending Knight + 2 pawns vs 4 pawns is not my ideal fighting variation.

Lautier-Ivanchuk, Monaco 1995, didnot follow the strongest move, an early a6 (move 15 is a good moment) so I wonder if Ivanchuk had anything in mind.... or didnot know about the 19.Bh6!! stunner.

Watson says there is no 'quiet line' or 'exchange variation' in the Benoni, but this ending is a little depressing for my taste and Novikov (remember 36.h4! N(!!!) in the Grunfeld) may spoil even this ending   ;)[/quote]

Sure, I meant only here to attribute the remainder of the line correctly (they diverge for good at move 28).

My guess is that Ivanchuk was just unaware.  There's not much to recommend his move order.

The endgame is not the most pleasant thing to play for Black, but you'd think with authors calling the line "just unsound" (Watson), and hearing that sentiment echoed here that there'd be more for White than a long forcing line ending in a +/= endgame which seems to be drawn.

At any rate, I'll have to take a closer look at the mainline above myself, but I think I may be convinced to start playing 8...Nbd7.

There have been some random comments in other Benoni threads, but I thought it might be good to give this topic a thread of its own.

Here's a very brief sketch of the critical tries (in my view, at least).  I've left it in pgn format.  Where are the improvements for White?

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7 8.Bb5+ Nbd7 9.e5 dxe5 10.fxe5 Nh5 11.e6 Qh4+ 12.g3 

[12.Kd2 fxe6 13.dxe6 0-0 14.exd7 (14.Nf3 Rxf3 15.Qxf3 Ne5 16.Qe4 Qf2+ 17.Qe2 Qd4+ 18.Kc2 Bxe6 unclear) 14...Bxd7 15.Bxd7 Rf2+ 16.Nge2 Rd8 17.Qb3+ (17.Qa4 Qxa4 18.Nxa4 Rxd7+ 19.Ke1 Rxg2 20.Kf1 Rg4 21.Nac3 Rf7+ 22.Ke1 Rg2 23.Be3 Bxc3+ 24.Nxc3 (24.bxc3 Re7 25.Kd2 Rd7+ 26.Ke1 Re7=) 24...Nf4 25.Bxf4 Rxf4 compensation; 17...c4 18.Qb5 Kh8 19.Rd1 Nf4 20.g3 Bxc3+ 21.Kxc3 Nxe2+ 22.Kb4 Qf6 23.Qxc4 a5+ 24.Ka3 (24.Ka4 b5+ 25.Qxb5 Nxc1 26.Raxc1 Rxb2 27.Qc6 Rxa2+ 28.Kb3 Rb8+ 29.Kc4 Rb4+ 30.Kd5 Qf3+ 31.Kd6 Qf8+ 32.Ke6 Re2+ 33.Kd5 Qf3+ 34.Kd6=) 24...Nxc1 25.Raxc1 Qxb2+ 26.Ka4 Qxa2+ 27.Qxa2 Rxa2+ 28.Kb3 Rxh2 compensation] 

12...Nxg3 13.hxg3 Qxh1 14.Be3 Bxc3+ 15.bxc3 a6 16.exd7+ Bxd7 17.Bxd7+ Kxd7 18.Qg4+ 

[18.Qb3 b5 19.0-0-0 Rhe8 20.Bxc5 Qg2 21.d6 (21.Bd4 Qxg3 22.c4 Qxb3 23.axb3 bxc4 24.bxc4 Rac8 25.c5 Rxc5+ 26.Bxc5 Rc8 27.Ne2 Rxc5+ 28.Kb2 =+) 21...Re6 22.Nh3 Qxh3 23.Qd5 Rb8 24.Ba7 Qh6+ 25.Kb1 Qf8 26.Bxb8 Qxb8 =+]

18...f5 19.Qf3 Qxf3 20.Nxf3 Rhe8 21.Kf2 Re4 22.Bxc5 Rc8 23.Bd4 Kd6 24.Ng5 Rxd4 25.cxd4 Kxd5 26.Nxh7 Kxd4 27.Rd1+ Ke5 28.Rd2 b5 29.Ke3 a5 30.Ng5 b4 31.Nf3+ Ke6 32.Nd4+ Kf6 33.Rc2 Re8+ 34.Kf2 Re5 35.Rc7 Re4 36.Rc6+ Ke7 37.Nf3 f4 38.gxf4 Rxf4 39.Ke3 Rf6 40.Rc7+ Kf8 41.Ra7 Rc6 42.Ra8+ Ke7 43.Ne5 Rc3+ 44.Kd4 Ra3 45.Rxa5 Rxa5 46.Nc6+ Kd6 47.Nxa5 g5 48.Nb3= (48.Nb3 Kc6 49.Kc4 g4 50.Nd4+ Kb6 51.Kxb4=)

The mainline here (that is, the endgame) is a corr. game Bonsai was kind enough to provide in the f4 Qe7 thread.