Averbakh Variation, Benoni Defense, Advance Variation

In this position White meets the Averbakh Benoni with 7. d5, advancing the pawn to fix a space-gaining chain on c4, d5 and e4 while Black's c5 and d6 pawns face it. With the center locked, the g7-bishop's diagonal stays open but Black must find counterplay. The most common reply, 7...e6, leads to the Main Line with Benoni-style pressure on d5; 7...h6 questions the g5-bishop at once and has scored well for Black, while 7...Nbd7 is a quieter development. Engines regard the position as roughly balanced.