TalJechin wrote on 04/26/07 at 09:42:06:


Excellent example - thanks TalJechin! 

I think it's clear that the line is very promising for White theoretically but also that as White you need to practise it a lot to get a feel for what you are trying to do, and how to hinder Black's various attempts at counterplay - it's the meshing of these two factors that is the key - it is not enough to memorise White's first dozen moves and think the game will win itself.

Keano wrote on 04/20/07 at 11:58:37:


That is, what he is famous for in The Netherlands. Read all his articles at Silman's site and you begin to wonder, why his rating has not dropped to 1600 yet. But he is not that young anymore; really older than L'Ami, Stellwagen and Smeets.

Keano wrote on 04/16/07 at 11:43:06:


Well, seems likely that Van der Weide has other ideas about the tiny little question what a "lower rated player" is than the average guy  

I don't think van der Weide necessarily considered those lines objectively the strongest. However, whatever the objective merits of the Van der Weide line, I think its an extremely pragmatic choice; many of the lines are quite sterile and White is playing two-result chess. Perhaps a well-prepared Black can hold the draw quite easily, but this is hardly the sort of position Black is aiming for when playing the Benko....that's my experience, at any rate.

OTOH, if I really had to win with White, I'd almost certainly play something else...

MNb wrote on 10/20/06 at 02:13:42:


Amusing how Van der Weide has completely lost faith in the Benko, but I suspect he is somewhat going over the top here - I think the line he feared most was the old-fashioned Kxf1, g3, Kg2 line where Whitye plays Re1 and omits h3. In that line I would have thought the simplistic ...Ng4 gives reasonable play. He also thinks Benko does not give winning chances against lower rated players. Food for thought, but I find this difficult to believe... 

I haven't had time to look at the specifics of this and probably won't for a while, but in answer to Markovich's question, I would say that White generally shouldn't be aiming for simplification at all. If he could trade the rooks (as M hints) that would be great, but of course the point of the Benko is that Black's rook have open files and White's don't.

It's not easy to play White in the accepted Benko full stop, let alone at fast time limits. What I like about Rb1 is the fact that (anyways in the ...Qa5 lines) it does seem to give White a fairly clear plan. I've done well on ICC with the sort of b4 plans set out in the book. Otherwise generally (again as I say in the book) I think the key to White's play is to play actively on the kingside and with e5, rather than trying to consolidate and hoping that his extra pawn will win the game: as any White player who's tried it knows; it won't. Of course you have to keep things reasonably tight at the back meanwhile. It's a tricky little number, no doubt about it, but I like White.

Markovich wrote on 04/13/07 at 13:25:07:


The whole point of the Benko is that Black usually gets a better endgame, thanks to his active rooks, and White's loose pawns. White should try to keep all his pieces, then Black's position becomes congested on the queenside, this is the whole point of 10. Rb1! But i agree with you that White's 10. Rb1 system doesn't play itself. 

Anyway I used to lose alot to the Benko in blitz games... until i started playing the Benko as Black myself  Most unpleasant seems to be 4.Nf3 g6 5. cxb5 a6 6. b6, White keeps a solid position with no weaknesses and a space advantage. Palliser's lines are excellent, perhaps the strongest chapter in his book. Titled players on playchess.com normally go 4... Bb7, when i think 5. Qc2 is somewhat better than 5. a4 and Palliser's 5. Nbd2, but that's a matter of taste. 

Tricky stuff like 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nc3 Bxa6 7. f4!?, 5. Nc3, 4. Bg5 (Stohl's recent survey in CBM is inspiring) can be dangerous, and even if Black knows his stuff White isn't worse and there's still an interesting game to be played. If you want to accept the Benko pawns i think the line with 8. Kxf1/9. Nge2/h3 (then Kg1-h2) is worth a punt having been played by Shulman many times, Shulman-Khalifman Khanty Mansiysk 2005 is a model game (see Flear's chesspub ebook), i found it useful that the knight on c3 is given protection, this also seems simpler than 10. Rb1 i think?! 

My tuppence worth on this is that the Rb1 stuff is a big headache for Benko fans.

10. Rb1 0-0 11. 0-0 Qa5 12. Bd2 Rfb8 13. Qc2 Nb6!? - I cant remember but what was the move-order of the classic Kramnik-Topalov Benko game Kramnik won in a rook + pawn endgame - as I remember White must go a4 at some point.

If I´m Black then I´d investigate 13...Qc7!? which seems like a sensible option to me which does not do too badly in practice, although White must be better.