A Detailed Guide to the Old Benoni 

Am slightly surprised you have not included Karpov-Korchnoi here as that is arguably the most famous Old Benoni and is regarded as theoretically important. What I think you failed to stress in your otherwise excellent video is that playing the Old Benoni is essentially an invitation to a KID. Going in via this move order though restricts white's options, not only avoiding the Trompowsky and London but also popular systems like the Sämisch. Against that black's options are also restricted, so the traditional ...e5 and ...f5 plan usually needs to be put aside. In practice, black has to be prepared for 5 systems: 1. True Old Benoni, where white avoids playing c4 and will instead use that square for a knight. This is probably the most annoying system for black to face but as you mention going in via the 2...Nf6 move order usually pushes white towards one of the other options. 2. 4 pawns attack, where white plays an early f4. This is a dangerous system and you have to know a little theory as black. Once you know it though, the resulting positions are quite good for black. 3. Nf3 and Bf4 - this is what white players without much theory usually play although it is a respectable method in its own right. All of the advice in the video applies here. As long as black stays active though, it is not too problematic. 4. Averbakh system, where white plays Be2 and Bg5. This one seems harmless on the surface but carries some hidden kick. You need to know some specific counters here to avoid being positionally busted. 5. King's fianchetto, where white plays g3 and Bg2 - this is a positional method with many paths to equality. The e6 break is often the simplest approach here as e4 is often not a desirable move for white and the centre can be a little looser than in the #3 and #4 systems. If you do not like the positions after ...e6, switching to a Czech-style pawn structure with ...e5 is also very effective against the Bg2 setup. And that is basically all you need to know. There are a small number of critical variations and aside from that it goes more on themes and general plans. It is a great system that I can easily recommend after personally having played it over 40 years. It is nice of Hanging Pawns to have given it some loving - sometimes it feels like the lost d4 defence as it hardly ever gets a mention anywhere else.

@@zelandakhniteblade5436 btw there's an interesting line- 1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. Bg5 - transposes back into the trompowsky. ... or perhaps it's the trompowsky that transposes into the old benoni. either way play can continue.... 3... Ne4 4. h4 - trompowsky, raptor variation

@@ianrust3785 I've actually played this line in a tournament though sadly it is too long ago for me to remember the result of the game. 3...Qb6 is the main move there from what I remember, which often leads to quite a nice sac line where white has decent compensation and good practical chances. I can remember an old pre-computer book saying it was good for black and therefore white had to bring the bishop back to c1. I disagreed.

So gorgeous

So true

Thanks for mentioning this! I completely forgot to bring that up!

Actually, since Esserman's fantastic book on the Smith Morra, I'm not sure the Morra is still considered unsound. Fortunately, I play the Morra from the White side so do I know the best lines for Black, but despite that I still feel pretty uncomfortable playing against it and have lost a few times.

@@Kuasm at the same time, of you are a Smith morra gambit player, you are not often going to play dr i think

@@HangingPawns Could you please explain this or make a video on it?

Thank you for doing this! 🙏

I don't know why your comment made me laugh out loud alone in my room hahahaha

Yes, it's a nice woody sort of word; most reassuring!

Benonee-san

Same recently started playing on chess.com and kept seeing the computer saying I was playing the Old Benoni defense (I wasn't doing it right, after pawn to I blocked it with horse than developed the bishop to take the piece back) finally decided to see how to improve what I was doing

In which universe did you lose from the old Benoni?

@@21LeonidasZ some people suck at chess. i suck at chess. do you have a problem with that

@@contextinvideos My comment had to with his name and profile picture (Elon Tusk from Rick and Morty).

@@21LeonidasZ ohh thats pretty sly lol nice

Interesting idea, but I dont think the point quite holds. The rook might not be gone, but white would lose the bishop and the b4 pawn and be completly lost with the c5 pawn soon to follow. I dont think Hanging pawns missed this, but as it would still be hopeless for white, it might not have been worth mentioning. The computer would rather lose the rook many different ways than play Bb2, so saying "and the rook is lost" would be accurate with best play, or just any of the top 5 lines for white. Calling Bb2 a defence for white is perhaps not adviceble, even when it does preserve the rook. I also really liked the video.

@@oliverfoldager291 Hi Oliver, I agree that still it would be devastating for white. My point was that the rook is defendable. I analyzed the situation after black moves Qf6, looking at the rook. Stockfish 14.1 suggests 1. Nc3 Qxc3+ 2. Bd2 (blocking the check) …Qa3. White is down a pawn and a knight, Black two pawns, but black dominates with evaluation -5.3. The suggested defense with bishop wasn’t the best. Moving the knight would be better. However, in both variants white is (hopelesly) trying to avoid an already started apocalypse. My point was that it is possible to defend the rook.

The recording schedule is voted for by the patrons, so I don't really have a say:D The next opening will be the QGD, and then the London System.

benoni is more solid than dutch defence in dutch defence i advise you to kill his two knights

Against e4 it’s the Sicilian not the Benoni

or the bishop

Agree. I use this trap a lot and it works often. He says it wins a rook and wins the game. But for me it wins a knight and their are pawns deep in my territory. I still lose one out of 10 games, even when I get this trap. It's the same trap for the Queen's Gambit accepted

Sorry, Qa5+

Its better as it allows the light square bishop to be developed, rather than having your queen out with White's forces trying to rush the king side

@@premjanipati1194 but surely doubled a pawns is just... Bad?

Shouldn't be too different: you follow with 4…axb4 5. Bxb4 Na6

If you expect an answer, it helps to give a timestamp from the video.

@@trevbarlow9719 Apoogies, I thought it was clear enough. Minute 7 is the position I refer to. Where after you play a5 to attack b6, he plays bishop d2 to defend it.

It is in the description of the video.

Because that is the Czech Benoni. A transposition. Same reason i didn't go over the transpositions to the Benko and the Modern

@@HangingPawns in the real czech benoni, the knight is already on f6, and f5 come later

@@safaricraft139 I know, but it's still a Czech benoni closed structure. Like after e6 (which is one of the main moves in the old benoni) the position simply becomes the Modern Benoni.

@@HangingPawns oh ok. So you will talk about when you will talk about the czech benoni? Thanks

@@safaricraft139 Yup. Video out today:)

At 8:43 , what do you think is the continuation after white plays Be2? Edit : Nvm, I put on the engine. Its 4. d2 axb4 if 5. Bb4, then Nc6 attacking bishop then if he continues holding on and play 6. Ba3, then the old Benoni trap 'thing' with Qf6 (Just in case someone was looking for it)

😂😂😂😂

or "White" can play