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Benoni Defense

Uhlmann Variation

A61positionaloffbeat

  1. 1.d4Nf6
  2. 2.c4e6
  3. 3.Nf3c5
  4. 4.d5exd5
  5. 5.cxd5d6
  6. 6.Nc3g6
  7. 7.Bg5
1,000 games45%52%

Benoni line where White pins the f6-knight with 7. Bg5, steering toward King's Indian Averbakh-style positions and testing ...h6 and ...g5 ideas.

Train it in Theoria

About the Uhlmann Variation

Named after Wolfgang Uhlmann, this line pins the f6-knight with 7. Bg5. It seeks a favorable version of the Averbakh Variation of the King's Indian. Botvinnik used it against Tal in their 1960 title match. Black almost always plays 7...Bg7. After 8. e4 h6 9. Bh4, the break 9...g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 allows 11. Bb5+ Kf8 12. e5, which gives White a dangerous attack. For that reason 9...a6 is preferred, and 10. Nd2 is then met by 10...b5.

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