Understanding before Moving 90: Basics of the Benko Gambit (9)

by ChessBase
8/28/2022 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books about chess training and chess strategy. In the 90th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to explain why playing the Benko Gambit might be a good choice for club players. | Photo: Pascal Simon

Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol.1 and 2 Key Concepts of Chess - Pawn Structures Vol.1 and 2

In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.

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This is (for now) the last instalment of our mini-course on the  Benkö Gambit. This beautiful opening can help to improve various aspects of your. Studying a good opening has value in itself, and learning how to put your pieces on good squares helps to gain strategic understanding.

Moreover, Benko-positions often contain hidden and beautiful combinations and studying the opening helps to improve your tactical skills.

Last but not least, your  endgame skills improve when you study how top players sometimes willingly enter endgames with a pawn down and then proceed to win them.

In the previous  videos, we looked at the opening from the perspective of the black player but as it usually helps to see things from the other side, I would like to end with the analysis of a difficult, but very instructive  game between Dutch Grandmaster Jeroen Piket and former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov.

Piket, who has long since retired from his active career,  managed to overpower the Bulgarian top player in 1999.  Do you see how White made the most of the clear positional advantages he has in the diagrammed position?

 

Attacking with the Benko Gambit

Don't give 1.d4 players an easy ride — sacrifice a pawn with 3.b5 for a lasting initiative. GM Ramirez shows you clear ideas for play in every variation.

Attacking with the Benko Gambit - Part 2

GM Ramirez completes his repertoire suggestion versus 1.d4 with powerful systems among others against the ColleSystem, Trompowsky or the declining move 3.Nf3. An absolute asset - not only for friends of the Benko Gambit!

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