French Benoni

The French Benoni begins with the French move 1...e6, but on 2. d4 Black does not play ...d5. Instead Black strikes at the center with 2...c5, a position known as the Franco-Benoni or Franco-Sicilian Defense. White now chooses the character of the game. 3. Nf3 transposes to a Sicilian, while 3. d5 gains space and produces a Benoni-style wedge. The resulting structure differs from the Benoni Defense proper. White's second central pawn already stands on e4 instead of c4, which leaves the c-pawn free and the bishop's diagonal open. Black, for their part, has not yet committed the king's knight to f6.

The most frequent reply is 3...exd5, chosen in nearly half of games, which immediately resolves the tension on e6. The alternatives 3...d6 and 3...Nf6 maintain the pawn on e6 a little longer while Black develops. Engines give White a slight edge after 3. d5. In Lichess games White scores somewhat better than Black and draws are uncommon, which fits the unbalanced positions that tend to arise. The opening appears mostly as a surprise weapon rather than as mainstream theory.