The Modernized Delayed Benoni

Descripción

My aim in this book is to show that the Delayed Benoni is equally as attractive as its cousin, the Modern

Benoni. For some reason – perhaps because “Modern” sounds more exciting than “Delayed”? – my

favorite Benoni has been neglected for years, receiving scant coverage in chess publications.

 

The advantage of “our” Benoni is based on a waiting approach. Black would like to choose a perfect

moment to play …e6xd5, waiting for White to adopt some piece setup that turns out to be inconvenient

for him after this exchange. At the same time, we would like to avoid some dangerous or deeply explored

variations like the Flick-Knife (a.k.a Taimanov) or systems where White can place his bishop on the

optimal f4-square.

 

A lot of variations in this book can also be useful for King’s Indian players, as a main or alternative way

to play. My own journey in the world of the Delayed Benoni started when I was a King’s Indian kind of

guy!

 

As every rose has its thorn, so White can annoy us by answering our …e6xd5 not with the routine c4xd5

but rather with e4xd5. This produces a completely different pawn formation, with an open e-file. White

enjoys a space advantage but Black has his chances. And just as White can depart from the well-trodden

path with e4xd5, so Black can dispense with the almost automatic …e6xd5 and instead play …e6-e5,

producing a sort of King’s Indian formation. In the Main Line, covered in Chapter 4,

White has already played h2-h3 and this pawn can become a target when Black gets his kingside attack

moving.

Sample pages