Vulture Defense

The Vulture Defense arises after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 Ne4. Black skips the usual Benoni and Benko continuations and posts the king's knight in the center straight away, at a point where White has no developed piece able to challenge it. The position can also be reached from the Old Benoni order 1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. c4 Ne4.

The knight is not meant to stay on e4 forever. Black's concern is the e4 square itself: a common plan retreats the knight to d6, from where it supports ...f5 and keeps White's e-pawn from advancing easily. Black also frequently brings the queen out with ...Qa5+, checking along the diagonal toward e1 so that White has to commit a piece to block, which can leave the c3 square or the bishop pair exposed. The cost is lost time, and engines give White a clear advantage. Assessments in the theory reach a similar conclusion, describing White as comfortably better in most lines.

The engine's preferred reply is 4. Qc2, which hits the knight and guards c3 and e4. After 4...Qa5+ White blocks with a knight: 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. Bd2 e5 7. Bxc3 Qc7 leaves White a small plus, as does 5. Nd2 Nd6, followed by either 6. b3 f5 or 6. e4 g6. Blocking with 5. Bd2 instead is an inaccuracy, since 5...Nxd2 hands Black the bishop pair.

In online play the most common reply is 4. f3, driving the knight back immediately, though Black has scored well against it in that sample. After 4...Qa5+ White must avoid 5. Nc3, when 5...Nxc3 6. bxc3 leaves doubled c-pawns and an equal game. Black can then grab pawns with 6...Qxc3+ 7. Bd2 Qxc4 8. e4 Qd4, but the engine prefers steady development: 6...g6 7. Bd2 Bg7 8. Qb3 d6 9. e4 O-O, which keeps White tied to the weak queenside pawns. 4. Nc3 is the other frequent choice.

The Vulture was named by Stefan Bücker, who analyzed it in 1989 together with two other Benoni offshoots: the Hawk, ...c4 against Nf3, and the Woozle, ...Qa5 against Nc3. By 1998 it had attracted a fair following, but it remains a rare surprise weapon rather than an established defense.