The King's Pawn Line, with Bg5 is a variation of the Benoni Defense, catalogued as ECO A65. The line runs 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Qd2 exd5 9. exd5, reaching the position shown below after 17 half-moves.
White holds the centre with pawns on d5. 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; the e-file file is fully open.
On the Benoni Defense generally: An aggressive defense where Black accepts a space disadvantage for dynamic counterplay.
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The King's Pawn Line, with Bg5 goes 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Qd2 exd5 9. exd5. It is a variation of the Benoni Defense and is catalogued as ECO A65.
The King's Pawn Line, with Bg5 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. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Qd2 exd5 9. exd5 at -0.50 at depth 18, which is a slight pull for Black, 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. Development is level at two minor pieces each. It is Black to move. Black has castled while White’s king is still uncommitted; the e-file file is fully open.