The King's Pawn Line is a variation of the Benoni Defense, catalogued as ECO A65. The line runs 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Nc3 e6 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 exd5 9. cxd5, reaching the position shown below after 17 half-moves.
White holds the centre with pawns on d5 and e4. Development is level at two minor pieces each. It is Black to move after nine moves. Black has castled while White’s king is still uncommitted.
On the Benoni Defense generally: An aggressive defense where Black accepts a space disadvantage for dynamic counterplay.
You can play through this variation move by move in your browser — Learn mode walks the line with an explanation at each step, and Drill mode replays it from memory so you find out whether you actually know it. No account is required.
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The King's Pawn Line goes 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Nc3 e6 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 exd5 9. cxd5. It is a variation of the Benoni Defense and is catalogued as ECO A65.
The King's Pawn Line is ECO A65. ECO codes group openings by their move order, so nearby codes cover closely related lines of the Benoni Defense.
Stockfish evaluates the position after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Nc3 e6 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 exd5 9. cxd5 at +0.29 at depth 18, which is a slight pull for White, within normal opening margins. Engine evaluation is only a starting point — at club level the practical value of a line is mostly about whether you know its plans better than your opponent does.
White holds the centre with pawns on d5 and e4. Development is level at two minor pieces each. It is Black to move. Black has castled while White’s king is still uncommitted.