Benko Gambit: Nd2 Variation
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Nf3 g6 8. Nd2
The Benko Gambit: Nd2 Variation is a chess opening classified as ECO A58, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Nf3 g6 8. Nd2. It is a line of the Benko Gambit. Black is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 5 times by this move order. White won 20%, 0% were drawn and Black won 80%. The most popular continuation is 8… Bg7 (100% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.44 (Stockfish, depth 32; best line 8… Qa5 9. e4 Bxf1 10. Kxf1 Bg7 11. Nc4)
- ECO
- A58
- Moves
- 15 plies
- FEN
rn1qkb1r/4pp1p/b2p1np1/2pP4/8/2N5/PP1NPPPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 1 8- PGN
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Nf3 g6 8. Nd2
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1500-1999 | 2 | |
| 2000+ | 3 | |
| All | 5 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 8… Bg7 | 5 (100%) |
Master games
10 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 60%, draw 30%, Black 10%). The strongest:
- GM Krishnan Sasikiran (2637) – FM Faizulaev, A. (2405) 1/2-1/2 · Asian Nations Cup 2016 · 2016-04-04
- FM Andrei Olhovik (2275) – FM Alberto Martin Fuentes (2379) 1/2-1/2 · 1st 3-0 Thu 16th Apr 2026 · 2026-04-16
- FM Andrei Olhovik (2275) – CM Georgijs Germanovs (2367) 1-0 · Titled Tue 2nd Jun 2026 · 2026-06-02
- FM Andrei Olhovik (2275) – FM Jval Saurin Patel (2341) 0-1 · Titled Tue 4th Nov 2025 · 2025-11-04
- FM Andrei Olhovik (2282) – Vladimir Bugayev (2085) 1-0 · Titled Tue 8th Oct Early · 2024-10-08
Search all games of the Benko Gambit: Nd2 Variation and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- chessyDoo14 (2102) – Wandi-Kotser (2119) 1-0 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
- Dellren (2099) – dagnuz53 (2100) 0-1 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- Mirrrry (2035) – NiBa10mo (2054) 0-1 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Benko Gambit Accepted: Fully Accepted Variation 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6
More Benko Gambit lines (all)
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.