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Old Benoni Defense (A44)
1 d4 c5 2 d5 e5

Number of games in database: 1688
Years covered: 1841 to 2025
Overall record:
   White wins 50.1%
   Black wins 24.9%
   Draws 25.1%

Popularity graph, by decade

Explore this opening  |  Search for sacrifices in this opening.
PRACTITIONERS
With the White Pieces With the Black Pieces
Fernando Peralta  6 games
Ivan Farago  6 games
Yosef Porat  5 games
Bozidar Ivanovic  21 games
Nona Gaprindashvili  17 games
Peter Rahls  17 games
NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]
White Wins Black Wins
W Hanstein vs von der Lasa, 1841
Alekhine vs Tartakower, 1926
J H Donner vs W Balcerowski, 1962
Bogoljubov vs Alekhine, 1934
F Gygli vs Alekhine, 1934
M Podgaets vs M Dvoretzky, 1974
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 page 1 of 68; games 1-25 of 1,688  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. W Hanstein vs von der Lasa 1-0231841BerlinA44 Old Benoni Defense
2. S F Lebedev vs Schiffers  0-13919012nd All-Russian Masters, MoscowA44 Old Benoni Defense
3. von Scheve vs Albin 0-1401902Monte CarloA44 Old Benoni Defense
4. A Kramer vs O Wegemund  1-0271912DSB-18.Kongress-CA44 Old Benoni Defense
5. Reti vs Spielmann  ½-½311919Schultz Memorial, StockholmA44 Old Benoni Defense
6. Rubinstein vs Spielmann 0-1291919StockholmA44 Old Benoni Defense
7. R Loman vs H Strick van Linschoten  1-0251920ScheveningenA44 Old Benoni Defense
8. M Marchand vs Euwe 0-1501920Euwe - MarchandA44 Old Benoni Defense
9. Kostic vs Spielmann 1-0501920GothenburgA44 Old Benoni Defense
10. Gilg vs E Kipke  ½-½271922Oeynhausen-Hauptturnier IIIA44 Old Benoni Defense
11. A Becker vs Tartakower  ½-½441923ViennaA44 Old Benoni Defense
12. F Apsenieks vs H G Wright 1-0121925Bromley prel-BA44 Old Benoni Defense
13. Alekhine vs Tartakower 1-0551926DresdenA44 Old Benoni Defense
14. H Gebhard vs W Springe 1-0311926Master TournamentA44 Old Benoni Defense
15. A Pokorny vs R Mikulka  1-0251927Czechoslovak ChampionshipA44 Old Benoni Defense
16. J de Souza Mendes vs J Montalban 1-03019283rd South American ChampionshipA44 Old Benoni Defense
17. J Gabarain vs J Montalban  ½-½6119283rd South American ChampionshipA44 Old Benoni Defense
18. E Lindroos vs A Tschepurnoff  1-0391928m FIN-chA44 Old Benoni Defense
19. Y Rokhlin vs Alatortsev 1-0391929LeningradA44 Old Benoni Defense
20. H Saunders vs Tartakower 1-0231929ScarboroughA44 Old Benoni Defense
21. E Lundin vs A Tschepurnoff  ½-½501929Nordic Congress, GothenburgA44 Old Benoni Defense
22. Flohr vs E Richter  1-0481930Kautsky mem7A44 Old Benoni Defense
23. E Lundin vs W Hasenfuss 1-0781931Prague OlympiadA44 Old Benoni Defense
24. Saemisch vs K Richter  0-1351933German ChampionshipA44 Old Benoni Defense
25. S Landau vs Alekhine 0-1571934RotterdamA44 Old Benoni Defense
 page 1 of 68; games 1-25 of 1,688  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
Apr-23-02  spassky407: I am the worst player at chess!!!
somebody please play me!!!
Apr-23-02
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sneaky: visit http://www.instantchess.com/ there are lots of beginners there
Mar-24-04  ruylopez900: Do any white players take ep here? I wouldn't know since I've never played this but I'm just wondering.
Mar-24-04  Kenkaku: 3. dxe6 always bothered me in this line, as I don't like playing moves such as fxe6.
Mar-24-04  ruylopez900: <Kenkaku>, correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think 3.fxe6 is an available option.
Mar-24-04  Kenkaku: <ruylopez900> I meant when I was playing the black side of this opening. 3. dxe6 fxe6
Mar-24-04  ruylopez900: Ahh, gotcha! =D
Apr-16-04  Dillinger: i think taking ep is mainline czech, where black gets an extra central pawn in exchange for a slightly exposed king. if retake with d pawn black loses castling rights so f pawn is probably better - i dont know the theory too well.
May-02-04  Reti Incarnate: This would have to be one of my favourite openings! Black, despite the statistics above, can score quite well if you play ambitiously (check out the game by Alekhine). The move 3. dxe6 e.p. has always bothered me too, but you'll find that playing simply 3. fxe6 gives Black a central majority and White has little chance of obtaining any advantage. Follow up with ...d5 at some stage, and you'll control the entire centre! Moo ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Good Day.

P.S. does anyone know how i can get a 'signature' for my comments? like, so that i can put 'good day' at the bottom of my comments automatically? thxs

May-02-04  BiLL RobeRTiE: Fortunately, you can't put a signature at the bottom of your comments. ;)
Dec-11-04  tacticsjokerxxx: it's not only about the central pawns, fxe6 gains an open rook file on F after castling, which is why dxe6 e.p. is considered theoretically wrong.
Jun-19-05  crumpy: when I play d4 on chessmaster on my gba, the reply is always c5 but now since i have seen this opening, I can use this to my advantage.
Jan-13-19  get Reti: Leela Chess literally evaluated this position (1. d4 c5 2. d5 e5) as +2.25 in a TCEC game against Stockfish. Wow.
Jan-13-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Really?

rofl

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