Modern Variation

The Modern Variation, usually called simply the Modern Benoni, is defined by 3...e6. The move attacks the d5-pawn so that Black can exchange on d5 and open the e-file. After 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 the structure is asymmetrical. White has a central majority and extra space. Black has a queenside majority, a backward pawn on d6, and an open long diagonal for a bishop on g7, which makes the setup livelier than the King's Indian. Counterplay usually comes from ...a6 and ...b5, pressure on e4 with ...Re8, and a knight settled on e5. Mikhail Tal brought the line to prominence in the 1950s, and dynamic players kept it in use through the 1990s.

4. Nc3 is the overwhelming choice. 4. dxe6 releases the tension and scores poorly for White, and 4. Nf3 b5 is the Blumenfeld Gambit. Modern main lines include 6. Nf3 g6 7. h3, which restrains Black's play, and the Fianchetto Variation 7. g3. The sharpest tries advance the f-pawn, and after 6. e4 g6 7. f4 Bg7 the Taimanov Attack 8. Bb5+ is considered especially awkward for Black. The Snake Variation, 5...Bd6, develops the bishop on d6 instead of g7. Engines give White a slight edge.