Benoni Defense
66 variations · A40 to A79
The idea
Unbalanced pawns, play on the queenside.
Black plays c5 against d4. If White pushes on to d5, White gets space and Black looks for chances on the queenside.
Where it comes from
The name Benoni comes from an 1825 book by Aaron Reinganum: Ben-Oni oder die Vertheidigungen gegen die Gambitzüge im Schache. Ben-Oni is an ancient Hebrew name meaning "son of my sorrow". Reinganum meant it as a nickname for his book. That book also covered the then unknown 1.d4 c5, and the name stuck to it. Of all the forms of the Benoni, only the Benko Gambit is more common than the Modern Benoni.
The opening itself
A56 · 2 moves
Benoni Defense
Variations 66
Names and moves from lichess-org/chess-openings (CC0).