Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense
1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6
The Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO A43, reached after 1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6. It is a line of the Benoni Defense. White is to move. 2 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 6,605 times by this move order. White won 49%, 4% were drawn and Black won 47%. The most popular continuation is 3. c4 (68% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.59 (Stockfish, depth 50; best line 3. Nc3 e6 4. e4 d6 5. Bb5+ Bd7)
- ECO
- A43
- Moves
- 4 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/pp1ppppp/5n2/2pP4/8/8/PPP1PPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 1 3- PGN
1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 1,273 | |
| 1500-1999 | 3,493 | |
| 2000+ | 1,839 | |
| All | 6,605 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3. c4 | 4,486 (68%) | |
| 3. Nc3 | 1,533 (23%) | |
| 3. Nf3 Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order | 191 (3%) | |
| 3. Bg5 | 98 (1%) | |
| 3. e4 | 80 (1%) | |
| 3. Bf4 | 67 (1%) | |
| 3. g3 | 33 (0%) | |
| 3. f3 | 32 (0%) |
Master games
1,994 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 46%, draw 18%, Black 36%). The strongest:
- KomodoDragon 2894.00 (3600) – Stockfish dev15_20220401 (3617) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 22 Superfinal 2022 · 2022-04-17
- Stockfish dev15_20220401 (3617) – KomodoDragon 2894.00 (3600) 1-0 · TCEC 22 Superfinal 2022 · 2022-04-17
- Igel3.0.5 (3512) – KomodoDragon2747.00 (3582) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 21 Premier 2021 · 2021-06-29
- KomodoDragon2747.00 (3582) – Igel3.0.5 (3512) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 21 Premier 2021 · 2021-06-26
- LCZero v0.26.3_T60.66740 (3575) – AllieStein v0.8-120f959_net-15.0 (3509) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 20 Premier 2020 · 2021-01-14
Search all games of the Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Schmargendorf (2639) – shahruh94 (2645) 1-0 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 0s
- CogitoErgoVinco (2615) – FM Paparama (2624) 1-0 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 2s
- GM rhungaski (2658) – VoinTeka (2550) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 2s
Comes from
Benoni Defense: Old Benoni (1… c5 2. d5) 1. d4 c5 2. d5
Continuations
- Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order A43 · 1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. Nf3
- Benoni Defense: Woozle A43 · 1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. Nc3 Qa5
More Benoni Defense lines (all)
- Benoni Defense: Franco-Sicilian Hybrid A40
- Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit Accepted A43
- Benoni Defense: Benoni Gambit, Schlenker Defense A43
- Benoni Defense: Benoni-Staunton Gambit A43
- Benoni Defense: Cormorant Gambit A43
- Benoni Defense: French Benoni A43
- Benoni Defense: Hawk Variation A43
- Benoni Defense: Old Benoni (1. d4 c5) A43
- Benoni Defense: Old Benoni (2. d5 d6) A43
- Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Mujannah Formation A43
- Benoni Defense: Old Benoni, Schmid Variation A43
- Benoni Defense: Snail Variation A43
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.