Markovich wrote on 03/29/10 at 12:38:39:


After losing to an IM years ago after 5.f3 axb5 6.e4 e6!? (Black's 5th and 6th moves can obviously be reversed) I've always thought that line is under appreciated.   

Unfortunately that Pedersen book has been pushed back for a while.

Out of curiosity I have a question for you Benko players: do you consider the Benko to be more solid than the King's Indian, Grunfeld, or Modern Benoni?  Obviously Black is down a pawn, but the old fashioned lines look more solid to me, from Black's point of view, than other "West Indian" defenses.  However the modern lines (5.f3, 4.Bg5, Zaitsev, etc) look just as messy as any King's Indian slugfest.  Do modern Benko players fit more or less the same mold as King's Indian or Modern Benoni players, or are you guys still trying to get that favourable endgame?

Keano wrote on 07/21/10 at 09:23:30:

There is such a book by Kiril Georgiev, but only for the Benko Declined, which he claims is the best way to go. See Squeezing the Gambits, Chess Stars 2010.

Hence this: http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/Play_the_Benko_Gambit perhaps. Due October, apparently.

I think that a significant challenge to 5.f3 is 5...axb5 6.e4 Qa5+.  After 7.Bd2 b4 8.Na3 d6 9.Nc4 Qd8, White seems to have a hard time proving any advantage.  At one time 10.a3 was supposed to be good, but 10...e6 11.axb4 Rxa1 12.Qxa1 exd5 and Black gets more than enough play.  So 10.Bd3 and it's a game of chess, but I'm not sure it's one that favors White very much.  There's also 7.b4!?, a move whose merit is unclear to me.

Ender wrote on 03/28/10 at 09:45:00:


Burgess/Pedersen: "Beating The Indian Defences"

I wish I'd seen this thread before I played the Benko twice against paul Cumbers on ICC...

Semkov wrote on 03/24/10 at 13:34:01:


Say, while you're here, Semko, I salute Chess Stars for its recent efforts.  I especially liked the Barsky and Bologan books.  I don't have Georgiev's yet.