All Chess Positions Open the map

A56Opening

Benoni Defense

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5

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White to move

Legal moves
30
Games in the next 4 moves
559,290
Different positions among them
189,787
Named lines from here
48

See it on the mapOn the opening map

The name comes from Aaron Reinganum’s book of 1825, “Ben-Oni”, Hebrew for “son of sorrow”. Black meets d4 with an early ...c5.

It is reached after 4 moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5.

White is to move and has 30 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 559,290 different games. Those games reach 189,787 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 2.9 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 48 further lines after this position, such as Benko Gambit (3. d5 b5) and Modern Variation (3. d5 e6).

The same moves can be played in 4 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 c5, which starts as the English Opening.

Map of every game of the next four moves after the Benoni Defense
Every game of the next four moves from this position, as the map draws it. Each ring is one more move; the outer ring holds all 559,290 games.

Move by move

  1. 1. d4Queen's Pawn Game
  2. 1... Nf6Indian Defense
  3. 2. c4Indian Defense: Normal Variation
  4. 2... c5Benoni Defense

Named lines from here

Related openings

FEN

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