A65 Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line
A65 holds nine named lines, all under the name Benoni Defense. It leaves A60 (Benoni Defense: Modern Variation) with 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4. With nine named lines it is the second-largest code of the 23 Benoni Defense codes. Lines of ten other codes continue from its position, the third-widest spread of the 23 Benoni Defense codes. At 11 plies, its reference line is the fifth-shortest of the 23 Benoni Defense codes.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | d4 | Nf6 |
| 2 | c4 | c5 |
| 3 | d5 | e6 |
| 4 | Nc3 | exd5 |
| 5 | cxd5 | d6 |
| 6 | e4 |
The move that completes A65
The reference line of A66 plays all of these moves and continues beyond them; A65 is the position reached at 6.e4.
- 6.e4 The e-pawn advances two squares to e4, covering d5 and f5, opening a line for the queen on d1 and the bishop on f1.
Lines filed under A65
All nine share the start 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 and then split two ways at Black’s move 2.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line | 2...c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 | 11 | |
| Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line, with Bg5 | 2...g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Bg5 c5 7.d5 | 13 | Black castled |
| Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line | 2...c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f3 Bg7 | 14 | |
| Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line, with Be3 | 2...c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f3 Bg7 8.Be3 | 15 | |
| Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line, with Bg5 | 2...c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f3 Bg7 8.Bg5 | 15 | |
| Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line, with Nge2 | 2...c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f3 Bg7 8.Nge2 | 15 | |
| Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line | 2...g6 3.f3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.e4 Bg7 6.Nc3 e6 7.Be3 O-O 8.Qd2 exd5 9.cxd5 | 17 | Black castled |
| Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line, with Bg5 | 2...g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Bg5 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Qd2 exd5 9.exd5 | 17 | Black castled |
| Benoni Defense: King’s Pawn Line, with Nge2 | 2...g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 O-O 6.Nge2 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Ng3 exd5 9.cxd5 | 17 | Black castled |
The road to A65
- 1.d4 … 2.c4three earlier stops: A40, A45, A50
- 2...c5A56 Benoni Defense
- 3...e6A60 Modern Variation
- 6.e4A65
The position after 6.e4
White has brought out the knight on c3; Black the knight on f6. White has a half-open c-file; Black a half-open e-file. Black could capture with Nxd5, Nxe4. Black is to move and has 32 legal moves.
Codes that branch off from A65
The reference lines of one other code leave A65 from the position after 6.e4, each with its own moves.
| Code | Moves | Reference line |
|---|---|---|
| A66 | 6...g6 7.f4 | Benoni Defense: Pawn Storm Variation |
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| A70 | Benoni Defense: Classical Variation | four squares: g1, f3, g6, g7 |
| A59 | Benko Gambit Accepted: Yugoslav | five squares: a6, a7, b7, e7, c8 |
| A19 | English Opening: Mikenas-Carls, Sicilian | six squares: d2, c4, d5, d6, e6, d7 |
| A61 | Benoni Defense | six squares: g1, e2, f3, e4, g6, g7 |
| B80 | Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation | six squares: g1, c2, d4, c5, d5, e6 |
| A67 | Benoni Defense: Taimanov Variation | seven squares: f1, f2, f4, b5, g6, g7, f8 |
| A71 | Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Averbakh-Grivas Attack | seven squares: c1, g1, f3, g5, g6, g7, f8 |
Where lines continue from here
Besides the codes above, they belong to A67, A68, A69, A72, A73, A74, A76, A77, A79.