| The Modern Benoni: Sound or Unsound When one thinks of answers to 1.d4 it�s easy to put certain openings in different categories. The King�s Indian and Grunfeld would go under aggressive, the Queen�s Gambit Declined and Slav under super solid and the Nimzo-Indian somewhere in between. The Modern Benoni, the subject of two recent books, definitely belongs to the first group. Since Mikhail Tal�s spectacular victories in the 1950s caught the public eye, the Benoni has been associated with super sharp play, but with periodic doubts about its soundness. The past two decades White has done so well with lines based on f2-f4 and Bb5+ that many players have only employed the Benoni via the move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5, opting for 3...Bb4 after 3.Nc3. International Masters John Watson and Andrew Kinsman take issue with the idea that the Benoni is only a pumped alternative to the Queen�s Indian, Bogo-Indian or Queen�s Gambit Declined, playing second fiddle to the Nimzo-Indian They both seek to show that the Modern Benoni proper, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6) is still alive and well. The Gambit Guide to the Modern Benoni ( Gambit - wwwgambitbooks.com, 2001, 208 pages, paperback, figurine algebraic, $22.95) by John Watson and Modern Benoni ( Everyman Chess - The Globe Pequot Press, P. O. Box 480, 246 Goose Lane, Guildford, CT 06437-0480, 2000, 143 pages, figurine algebraic, $19.95) by Andrew Kinsman both differ from the last major work to appear on the Benoni, Lev Psakhis�s The Complete Benoni (1995). That massive, but not easily digestible, tome tried to cover everything on the Benoni. Kinsman and Watson have opted for different approaches. Modern Benoni uses the standard Everyman Chess approach where chapters are centered around model games. In this case the reader gets 64 well-annotated games covering ten chapters. The advantage of this approach for the amateur is its readability, both in terms of its generous amounts of instructive prose and also the general layout. The disadvantage is that the reader is not always given a clear idea of what line to play and occasionally important variations can slip through the cracks. Watson�s The Gambit Guide to the Modern Benoni is a pure repertoire book. He gives two lines for Black against each of White�s main tries. These lines are examined deeply and present not only existing theory, but also a lot of original analysis. For example against the Knight�s Tour Variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nf3 g6 7.Nd2 Bg7 8.Nc4 0-0 9.Bg5) he suggests not only the well-known 9...Qe7 , but also the experimental 9...Qd7!? which he backs up with concrete analysis when there are no practical examples. How do the two books compare? Let us take a look at a line of the Benoni that has plenty of utility. Not every Grandmaster will play 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5, but many like to give it a go after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5, when many of White�s sharper options have been sidestepped. The main line begins after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 e6 4.c4 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7g3 Bg7 8.Bg2 0�0 9.0�0 and Black is aiming for the position reached after 9...a6 (intending �b5) 10.a4 Re8 (intending �Ne4) 11. Nd2 Nbd7 (planning 12.Nc4 Nb6 13.Ne3 Ng4) 12.h3 Rb8 13.Nc4. Now Black has a big decision in choosing between 13...Nb6 and 13...Ne5. First off Watson recommends 13...Nb6 in his repertoire for Black, while Kinsman looks at both moves as well as systems in which Black opts for an early �Na6. Second both deal with the different tries White can choose from between move nine and thirteen. Specifically we are talking about attempts by the first player to avoid the Knight pirouette and go for quick pressure against d6 with Bf4. This discussion might seem a little esoteric, but what it really comes down to is whether the sequence (9...a6, 10...Re8, 11...Nbd7 and 12...Rb8) is the most precise for Black or whether he is better off with 9...a6 10.a4 Nbd7. Watson gives 10...Nbd7 as his main system and 10...Re8 as his second choice. Preparing for a game against GM Alexander Goldin at a tournament in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this year I came to the conclusion that while one might like to play the move order 9...a6 10.a4 Re8 to cut down on White�s options, the �Ne4 idea really doesn�t seem to work: After 9...a6 10.a4 Re8 11.Bf4 Ne4 12.Nxe4 Rxe4 13.Nd2 Rb4. White has two strong replies. Against 14.Ne4 h6 15.Ra2 (Kinsman considers 15.Bd2!? Rxb2 16.Qc1 Rxd2 17.Qxd2 f5 18.Nc3 Qa5 19.Rac1 as dangerous for the second player in Savon-Tal, USSR 1970, but Watson gives �19...Nd7! Offers Black a lot of play for his small material deficit.�) 15...Bh3! (theory) 16.Bxh3 Rxe4 17.a5 Qc7 18.Qc2 Adorjan-Armas, Bundesliga 1989/90, which quickly led to trouble for Black in the game after 18...Re7. Armas gives 18...Rd4 19.Bg2 b5 as equal , which Watson quotes. I think Black is struggling after 20.axb6 Qxb6 21.Bd2 when the Rook looks awkwardly placed. White�s other major try after 13...Rb4 is 14.Ra2 when 14...g5 15.Be3 f5 16.Nf3 h6 17.Qc1 is critical. A few games have tested 17...Qf6 18.h4. Watson considers this to just be good for White, continuing 18...g4 19.Nd2 Nd7 20.Nc4 b5 21.axb5 �White has a definite positional advantage�. Kinsman agrees, going further into the game Ruck-Vaulin, Paks 1999, where White could have obtained a pleasant endgame after 21...Rxb5 22.Bf4 Ne5 23.Bxe5 dxe5 24.e4 f4 if he had chosen 25.gxf4 Qxf4 26.Nd6 Qxc1 27.Rxc1 Rb6 28.Nxc8 Rxc8 29.Bf1. Kinsman�s solution to Black�s difficulties is to avoid this line. His advice is if you want to play an early �Re8, aiming for �Ne4, don�t play an early �a6. He points out the game Nikolic-Topalov, Monaco rapidplay 2000, where 9...Re8 10.Bf4 Na6!? led to interesting play for Black. Watson treats things much differently and in his imitable style breaks new ground with 17...Bd7, which is aimed at 18.h4. His main line goes 18.Qc2 Qf6 19.Bd2 Rxb2 20.Rxb2 Qxb2 21.Qxb2 Bxb2 �with at least equality�. I think White does better to try 19.b3. It�s rare to see two books come out on the same opening at almost exactly the same time, especially on the Modern Benoni which has never been on center stage as an answer to 1.d4. It�s complicated, demands good tactical abilities and there is a fair amount of theory to learn, but for those who like attacking play in semi-open positions it might be just the right opening. Both of these books are well-written, but if I had to select one I would go with Watson�s. It�s not only well-researched, both offers the reader plenty of original analysis. The Gambit Guide to the Modern Benoni - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Modern Benoni - RECOMMENDED |