Benoni-Indian Defense

The Benoni-Indian Defense starts from the Old Benoni, 1. d4 c5 2. d5, with Black answering White's space-gaining advance by developing the king's knight before choosing a pawn structure. The knight on f6 pressures d5 and covers e4, and it keeps ...e6, ...e5, ...b5 and ...g6 all available. Because the move order differs from 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5, White still has a free choice of setup. Engines give White a slight edge, while practical results are close to level.

3. c4 is the usual reply, played in about two-thirds of games, and it transposes directly into the standard Benoni position. From there Black can head for the Modern Benoni, the Benko Gambit or the Czech Benoni. The main alternative is 3. Nc3, which leaves the c-pawn on c2 so that the knight can support an early e4, as is typical of Old Benoni play. In practice this has been the more successful choice for White. The rarer 3. Nf3 is the Kingside Move Order, a line that can still transpose to Benoni structures if White plays c4 later.