Benima Defense

The Benima Defense arises after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. d4 exd4, when Black, having chosen the reserved Hungarian Defense setup, gives up the e5 point instead of holding it. The same position can come from the Scotch Gambit order 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Be7. Compared with 4...Bc5 or 4...Nf6, the bishop on e7 neither pressures a knight on d4 nor hits e4, so Black aims for quiet development and plans ...Nf6 and ...d6 or ...d5 later. The engine gives White a slight edge.

White has three main options. The most common, 5. Nxd4, recaptures the pawn at once and gives an open Scotch position with extra central space for White. With 5. c3, White offers material for rapid development in the manner of the Göring Gambit, and in practice it is White's best-scoring choice. 5. O-O delays the recapture and keeps open the option of playing for the initiative. In all three lines White wins more often than Black, and the opening is mostly seen at club and online level.