2. Basic Concepts in the Benko Gambit
4. Main- and Sublines of the Benko Gambit
The move 3...b5 was first played in Stahlberg – Stoltz, Stockholm 1933. In this and the subsequent games, players with the black pieces early ...e6 – similar to the Blumenfeld Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 b5). The first “real” Benko Gambit (also known as Volga Gambit) was seen in the game Szabo – Lundin, Saltsjobaden 1948. There, Black introduced the trademark strategy of this opening: 3...b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6. Black sacrifices his b-pawn and exchanges his a-pawn to open the a- and b-files. The compensation for the pawn is of purely positional nature. After completing development, Black places his rooks on the open files and puts White’s queenside under pressure. The development of the dark-squared bishop to g7 also plays an important role in this concept.
Benko first played “his” Gambit against Gross in 1968. 3...b5 was named after him, despite the fact that the fundamental ideas had already been discovered earlier. He was the first player who consistently played it at Grandmaster level, thereby contributing a great deal to the development of its theory. He published his analysis in “The Benko Gambit” (RHM Chess, 1973).
Pal Benko (Hungarian: Benkö Pal, 1928 – 2019) was a Hungarian-American Grandmaster, prolific composer of endgame studies, and author. He had his biggest successes in the late 1950s and the 1960s, twice qualifying for the Candidates Tournaments in 1959 (played in Bled, Zagreb and Belgrade) and 1962 (Curacao). Benko set a record, by finishing first or tying for first in eight US Open Championships.
The fundamental strategy of the Benko Gambit in a nutshell:
If White accepts the gambit and Black acts along the above guidelines, we end up in a position like the following one.
A typical position in the Benko Gambit
Black exerts strong pressure via the a- and b-file and the long diagonal. It will not be easy for White to make his extra pawn count. Contrary to other gambits, exchanges might well be in Black’s favour! For example, getting the queens off the board, often improves Black’s chances. The white queen defends important squares and is a major asset for a possible counterattack in the center (e4-e5) on the kingside (h4-h5). Black’s queenside pressure persists even without queens.
In the main lines of the Benko, the pawn structure looks as follows:
White’s pawn structure may slightly differ from the diagram above (for example, the e-pawn could also be on e2), while Black’s basic structure is exactly as shown. This “Benko Pawn Chain” is the backbone of this opening’s strategy. With such a secure structure, his pieces can roam freely and attack weak points in the opponent’s position. If one of White’s pawns drops, the advantage often changes to Black’s side: If the a- or b-pawn is lost, White is left with a backward pawn. If the e-pawn gets captured, the d5 will be isolated.
Transferring the knight to e5 via g4 generally works well with a white pawn on e4 and with the light-squared bishops either off the board or the white one being on g2.
In the diagram above, we see the knight manoeuvre carried out under optimal circumstances. Black threatens to invade on d3 with ...Ne5-d3, which usually provides him with excellent counterplay. If White defends with Bf1, then Black can exchange bishops and fix the outpost on d3 with ...c5-c4.
Creating an outpost on d3 for the knight can be one idea behind playing ...c5-c4. Another motif is to break up White’s queenside pawns.
Here ...c5-c4 is played to weaken White’s structure. Black’s c-pawn gets exchanged against White’s b-pawn which leaves the a4-pawn isolated. Also, by opening the c-file, the c3-knight comes under pressure – so White’s entire construction on the queenside becomes less stable.
Since playing ...c5-c4 gives up the control over the d4-square, Black has to check beforehand if Nd4-c6 is possible (which in general cannot be allowed) or, if White can keep his formation intact by playing b3-b4.
The above diagram perfectly depicts a dream scenario for White and a nightmare scenario for Black. Having a secure outpost on b5 represents a major achievement for White as it blocks any counterplay down the b-file. Here, in addition the manoeuvre Nd2-c4 is to follow, which renders Black’s case utterly hopeless. White takes control of all the important squares and has a free hand to prepare the central breakthrough e4-e5.
Another position to avoid with Black: taking with the a-pawn on b5 becomes possible if ...axb5 is played too late, i.e. White gets the time to protect his rook on a1. Regardless of the b-pawn being doubled, the b5-pawn provides White with some important advantages. Firstly, the b-file is blocked and secondly, it offers a useful outpost on a6 for White’s rook. White can take control over the a-file by playing Ra6 and doubling on the a-file, while Black is left without counterplay.
If White is able to stabilize the situation on the queenside, then he can concentrate on his own plans. The advance e4-e5 breaks up Black’s pawn chain and opens the e-file for White’s major pieces. If White manages to break through in the center in a position similar to the one above, he can count on gaining a big advantage.
We reach the main position after 5...Bxa6 6.Nc3 g6 7.e4. This move (or 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.e4) defines the Classical System. White plays in the most straightforward manner and occupies the center. 7...Bxf1 8.Kxf1. The loss of castling rights is not a major problem, since White can castle “by hand”. 8...d6 9.g3 Bg7 10.Kg2 0-0 11.Nf3 Nbd7. White finished his development ( the c1-bishop will be activated later), while Black realized the typical setup, i. e. opening the a- and b-file for his rooks and developing the dark-squared bishop to the long diagonal to support his play on the queenside. This was tested in thousands of games and was in principle regarded as satisfactory for Black, until 12.a4! became popular. For some reason this typical idea – White creates an outpost on b5 to block the b-file – was for a long time neglected in this concrete position.
White scores massively from this position (between 65 and 70 percent). A typical continuation, highlighting Black’s problems: 12...Qb6 13.Ra3 (putting the rook on a protected square and out of the range of the g7-bishop) 13...Rfb8 14.Qc2. After protecting e4, White is ready to seal the b-file with Nb5. If Black plays 14...Ne8 (with the idea 15.Nb5 Nc7), then White can open a second front on the kingside with 15.h4!.
There have been some attempts to make the variation playable for Black. For instance keeping the knight on b8 for one more move with 11...Qa5 with the idea 12.a4 Na6. Though even in this case White keeps the advantage – his outpost on b5 is more important than the black one on b4. In summary: the ball is very much in Black’s court in this line of the Classical System.
To avoid the above mentioned unpleasant scenario, Benko Gambit aficionados came up with the following idea. 5...g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e4 0-0 8.Nf3 Qa5!?.
White must defend e4 without blundering: 9.Bd3? runs into 9...Nxd5! 10.exd5 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qxc3+ and White loses either the bishop on d3 or the rook on a1. Apart from this little trap, Black’s idea is of a positional nature. The point of 8...Qa5 is seen after for example 9.Bd2 (or 9.Nd2) 9...Bxa6 10.Bxa6 Qxa6!. If White plays 11.Qe2 in order to castle, Black can play the calm 11...d6 followed by ...Nbd7 or the sharper 11...e6!?, with good compensation in each case. We already mentioned in “Basic Concepts”, that exchanging queens is usually in Black’s favour in the Benko Gambit.
To cut across this plan, White players devised the cunning 8.a7!, with the point that after 8...Rxa7 9.Nf3 Qa5?! 10.Bd2 Bxa6? loses to 11.Nb5!. Black has to adjust to the new situation and go for 9...e6 10.Be2 exd5 11.exd5 d6 12.0-0 Na6.
Black no longer has the perfect Benko Pawn Chain, but ...e6 was necessary to obtain counterplay. As a result Black’s pawn on d6 is weak, while White’s pawn on d5 is isolated – targeting this pawn is Black’s main source of counterplay. The engine gives White an advantage of about 0.5, while in practice he scores about 58 percent – this sounds quite acceptable.
As we have seen the Classical System is pretty challenging and offers White good chances for an advantage – it’s IM Kushager Krishnater’s recommendation in his course 1.d4 Expert Repertoire against the Queen's Indian, Bogo-Indian, Benko Gambit, Benoni, Dutch, and Sidelines. In my opinion the lines with 5…g6 (delaying …Bxa6) and especially 5…e6 (see below) are Black’s best bet. Even if White is objectively better with best play, the position offers enough counterchances to the second player.
White can avoid the exchange of the light-squared bishops by playing 5...Bxa6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.g3 d6 9.Bg2. After castling, White plans to consolidate his position with manoeuvres like Qc2 followed by Rd1 or Rb1 followed by b3. Black needs to show some precision in order to not end up in a position without counterplay. For example 9...0-0 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Qc2! Qb6 (11...Nb6 can now comfortably met by 12.Rd1) 12.Rb1 Rfb8 13.b3.
This is the kind of position White wants reach in this line. His queenside is solid and having the pawn on e2 (compared to e4 as in the Classical System) doesn’t give Black any targets on the light squares (e.g. the square d3). Typical moves to further improve the position are Bb2, Nd2, and Rfd1.
Black can prevent this scenario with 9...Nbd7 (instead of the automatic 9...0-0) 10.0-0 Nb6!. Here White doesn’t manage to play Qc2 (followed by Rd1) since d5 is would fall, while 11.Rb1 (with the idea b3) allows 11...Bc4! with a double attack against a2 and d5. Now the most played line 11.Re1 0-0 12.e4 gives Black a very good game: 12...Nfd7 13.Qc2 Nc4.
White presumably stumbles into this position “by accident”. Black is not yet objectively better, nevertheless his score is great. Pressure on the queenside is mounting, while it’s not obvious what to do as White. A reasonable defence seems to be 14.Bf1, when Black has just good compensation after 14...Nde5. A typical blunder would be 14.b3? - White’s queenside falls apart after 14...Qa5!.
Unfortunately this is not the end of the story, since White too can refine his move order by meeting 9...Nbd7 with 10.Rb1!?, thereby reaching the desired setup on the queenside with b3 etc. I guess that Black can make this work in some way, but it may not be necessary. As already mentioned above, Black can delay ...Bxa6, which leads us to 5...g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 0-0 8.g3 d6 9.Bg2 Nbd7 10.0-0 Nb6.
Qc2 is again prevented as d5 needs protection and 11.Rb1?! is simply met by 11...Bf5! – this is an important point of this specific move order! If something like 11.Re1 is played, then Black is already fine after 11...Bxa6 (we just saw this above), as his counterplay with ...Nc4, ...Nfd7, ...Qa5, and ...Rfb8 arrives in time.
Though 5...e6 was regularly played in email and correspondence games since the late 1990s, it only started to become popular in OTB-games at around 2015. It seems like a new chapter in the Benko Gambit has been opened! Black’s goal is similar to the Blumenfeld Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 b5) – establishing a central pawn majority. For example 6.dxe6 fxe6 would suit him well. After completing his development Black can start a pawnroller in the center. More logical is to keep d5 under control with 6.Nc3. One critical line to illustrate the character of the play: 6...exd5 7.Nxd5 Be7!. This modest bishop move has proven to be best. 8.Nxe7. If 8.e3 then 8...Nxd5 9.Qxd5 Ra7 10.Nf3 Na6!. Black preserves the light-squared bishops. White’s queen will be driven from d5 after which the d-pawn can march forward. 8...Qxe7 9.e3 0-0 10.Nf3.
Now, apart from playing for positional compensation with 10...d5, Black has the fresh idea 10...Rxa6!? at his disposal. If the rook is captured, White risks to come under an attack after 11.Bxa6 Bxa6 – the king is stuck in the center and ...d5-d4 is coming. If the rook is allowed to stay alive, it can be lifted to the kingside: 11.Be2 Rd6 12.Qc2 Ne4 13.0-0 Bb7, followed by ...Rg6.
GM Ivan Cheparinov made this line the backbone of his course Play the Benko - Complete Repertoire for Black. He equips the Benko player with all the necessary theoretical information against all of White’s continuations after 3…b5 – topnotch analysis!
This is a solid and dependable way of meeting the Benko Gambit. 5.e3 is analyzed by GM Grigor Grigorov in his course Modern Repertoire against the Benko Gambit, where, alongside the theoretical survey, Grigor presents a comprehensive overview of various positional themes in the Benko Gambit. A very useful database for 1.d4-players and Benko-players alike!
5.e3 prepares the development of the kingside and defends b5 with the bishop - one of the key ideas in this line is to use b5 as an outpost and thereby reduce Black’s counterplay. Let’s look at an example to demonstrate this strategy:5...g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 0-0 8.a4 d6 9.Nbd7 10.h3!.White makes a useful move and waits for Black to take on b5.
Black has developed analogous to some lines of the Classical System or the Fianchetto System. There’s an important difference between these and the line with 5.e3: here, White has a firm grip over b5. With the b-file blocked, Black does not get any compensation for the pawn. For example 10...axb5 11.Bxb5 Ba6 12.Bg5 Bxb5 13.axb5. We are already familiar with this motif from “Basic Concepts” – Black must avoid such a scenario!
A better try for Black is 5...axb5 6.Bxb5 Qa5+ 7.Nc3 Bb7 8.Bd2 Qb6. Now it’s not easy for White to keep the pawn. Holding on to d5 with 9.Qb3, leads to a materially unbalanced position after 9...e6 10.e4 Nxe4! 11.Nxe4 Bxd5. 
12.Qd3 f5 13.Ng3 Bxg2. Black picks up the exchange on h1, when he has rook and two pawns versus knight and bishop. The resulting position is double-edged and offers chances for both sides.
Instead, 9.Nf3 Nxd5 10.a4 is a good practical try.
White has returned the pawn for a lead in development. The engine evaluates the position as only slightly better for White, while in practice he scores around 65 percent (in around 200 games)! So, if Black plans to go for this line, some serious preparation needs to be done.
Ivan Cheparinov suggests 5...e6!?, analogous to his recommendation of 5...e6 against the Classical System. Black gets decent long-term compensation and his play is quite straightforward. An example: 6.Nc3 exd5 7.Nxd5 Bb7 8.Nxf6+ Qxf6 9.Nf3 Be7 10.Bxa6 Nxa6 11.Bc4 0-0 12.0-0 Nb4 13.a3 d5!.
Black utilizes his central pawn majority and gets sufficient counterplay for the sacrificed pawn.
5.f3 may look strange, but contains a cunning idea: after 5...axb5 6.e4, White creates the double threat of 7.Bxb5 and 7.e5. The best way to deal with this is 6...Qa5+ 7.Bd2 b4, when Black has defended against both threats. A critical position arises after 8.Na3!? d6 9.Nc4 Qd8 10.a3 e6!.
Black has fallen behind in development and the knight on c4 is a major positional asset. Therefore he has to energetically strive for counterplay. After 11.dxe6 Bxe6 12.axb4 Rxa1 13.Qxa1 d5! 14.exd5 Nxd5, Black’s activity offers good compensation for the pawn. Here, the downside of 5.f3 comes to the fore - the f3-pawn obstructs White’s development.
5...e6!? is another theoretically sound continuation, though it can lead to very murky positions. 6.e4 exd5 7.e5!. Another point of 5.f3 is revealed – the f6-knight is forced back. With best play, we might arrive in the following position: 7...Qe7 8.Qe2 Ng8 9.Nc3 Bb7 10.Nh3 c4 11.Nf4 Qc5!.
Despite the verdict of the engine being (of course...) 0.00, both sides must be very well prepared to be able to successfully navigate in this chaos.
Apart from these very concrete lines, 5...g6 is playable. Though White can argue that after 6.e4 he gets a better version of the Classical System, since he managed to play e2-e4 without losing the right to castle.
With 5.b6 White immediately returns the pawn to restrict Black’s counterplay. Challenging the d5-pawn with 5...e6, is the most principled answer. Black equalizes without too much trouble, though some pitfalls have to be avoided: 6.Nc3 Nxd5 7.Nxd5 exd5 8.Qxd5 Nc6 9.Nf3.
Here it’s important to not play the natural 9...Be7?, since this runs into 10.Ne5!. Black has nothing better than to go into a depressing endgame with 10...0-0 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Qxd8 Bxd8. This may be defensible, but still should be avoided. 9...Rb8! is the right move. 10.e4 Be7 11.Bc4 0-0 12.0-0 Rxb6. White’s position optically looks better, but eventually Black will equalize with ...d6 followed by ...Be6.
A more complicated but strategically risky alternative is 5...Qxb6 6.Nc3 g6 7.e4 d6 8.Nf3 Bg7 9.Be2 0-0 10.Nd2!?. White prevents ...Bg4, since exchanges would be in Black’s favour as he is lacking in space.
Since there’s only one file open on the queenside, Black struggles to create counterplay. On the plus-side he isn’t down any material and White’s advantage in the following positional manoeuvring game is still within acceptable bounds. Some basic ideas: White will position a knight on c4, which can be challenged by ...Nd7-b6. If White prevents ...Nb6 by playing a4-a5, then ...Bd7-b5 becomes an option. Once the c4-knight has been driven away or has been exchanged, then the lever ...e7-e6 provides Black with some counterplay.
While 5.b6 is not the most ambitious way to combat the Benko Gambit, it’s sound and easy to prepare. Hence it is recommended by GM Ioannis Papaioannou in his Practical 1.d4 Repertoire for White - Part 1.
This is an invention of prolific opening innovator GM Igor Zaitsev (i.e. one of the main lines of the Closed Ruy Lopez is named after him). His idea was 5.Nc3 axb5 6.e4 b4 7.Nb5.
After only seven moves we get a somewhat non-standard position. What is that knight doing on b5? Well, White has various tactical ideas: 7...Nxe4? loses immediately due to 8.Qe2 and if the e4-knight moves, Black gets mated by 9.Nd6#. Protecting the knight with 8...f5 is also insufficient after 9.f3.
So Black should play the logical 7...d6, when out of various tries for White, two must be mentioned. Firstly 8.Bc4, for some reason called the “Nescafe Frappe Attack”, with the idea 8...g6 9.e5 dxe5 10.d6 exd6 11.Bg5. While this can be a good weapon for faster time controls, the engine suggests that this direct onslaught does not work against good defence. For example 11...Nbd7 12.Nxd6+ Bxd6 13.Qxd6 h6 14.Bh4 Bb7 15.Nf3 Ne4 and Black beats off the attack.
Secondly, 8.Bf4, which renews the tactical motifs around the d6-square. Black can play either 8...g5!? 9.Bxg5 Nxe4 or 8...Nxe4 9.Qe2 g5! (here, this is the only move; it is crucial to divert White’s bishop from d6), with a good position for Black in each case. All in all Zaitsev’s original invention has been successfully neutralized. Still, Black should be aware of this line, since it poses unusual problems.
White can take a look at 6.Nxb5, which is hardly investigated. After 6...Ba6 7.Nc3 we are suddenly in the old main line of the Classical System, where Black has some problems. Playing in the spirit of the Blumenfeld Gambit with 6...e6!? is a logical, since with the knight on b5, White has less control over d5. Black has reasonable compensation after both 7.dxe6 fxe6 with a central pawn majority and even 7...dxe6!? (analyzed by Cheparinov).
By declining the Gambit, White denies Black the activity that comes with the open files on the queenside. He rather wants to play a positional game and hopes that his space advantage will tell. We are looking at the three most important moves – all of them carrying some poison.
White continues developing and simply ignores 3...b5!? Let’s see what Black can do: 4...bxc4?! is not recommended. White gets easy development and an active position. 5.Nc3 d6 6.e4 g6 7.e5!? dxe5 8.Nxe5 Bg7 9.Bxc4 0-0 10.0-0 with some advantage for White. 4...g6 is playable, though not without drawbacks either. White has a pleasant choice between 5.cxb5 a6 6.b6!?, which was discussed under the move order 4.cxb5 a6 5.b6, and 5.Nbd2 Bg7 6.e4 bxc4 7.Bxc4 (see 4.Nd2).
4...Bb7!? is quite popular and interesting. White has tried many moves, but against each of them Black achieves interesting play. For example, 5.Qb3 b4!?, 5.a4 Qa5+!? 6.Bd2 b4, 5.Nbd2 bxc4 6.e4 e6, and the best move according to Cheparinov, 5.a3, when going for a version of the Blumenfeld Gambit with 5...e6!? looks attractive.
Cheparinov’s main recommendation against 4.Nf3 is 4...b4!? which leads to strategically complex play. A sample line runs 5.Nbd2 g6 6.e4 d6 7.a3.
Now it’s best to sacrifice the b4-pawn with 7...Bg7!. Defending the pawn with 7...a5?, is strongly met with the breaktrough 8.axb4 cxb4 9.c5! dxc5 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Bc4 followed by e4-e5 with overwhelming positional compensation for the pawn. 8.axb4 cxb4 9.Qa4+ Nbd7 10.Qxb4. So we managed to sacrifice our b-pawn after all – let’s go a little deeper to understand what Black get’s in return. 10...a5 11.Qa3 Bb7 12.Be2 0-0 13.0-0 Qb6 14.Rb1 a4.
Black will follow up with ...Rfb8, ...Nc5 – he has nice positional compensation for the pawn.
I guess both continuations, 4...Bb7 and 4...b4 will suit Benko players, since they promise active, uncompromising play. For the sake of completeness, 4...e6, with a transposition to the Blumenfeld Gambit, should also be mentioned.
Despite that White breaks a fundamental opening rule, by developing the queen before any other piece, this move is quite popular. The basic idea is to play e2-e4 on the next move. White’s center will not be easy to crack and he typically achieves some space advantage. A solid way to meet 4.Qc2 consists in 4...dxc4 5.e4 e6. Black attacks the center and fights for space. 6.Nc3 exd5. Now the sharp 7.e5!? is possible, forcing Black to sacrifice a piece. 7...Bb7! 8.exf6 Qxf6.
The massive central pawn mass offers good compensation for the knight.
Instead, 7.exd5 leads to a more standard position. 7...d6 8.Bxc4 Be7 9.Nf3 0-0 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.b3 Nbd7.
White has more space, while Black is solid and has counterplay against c4. Most likely Black will take on c4 play ...Re8, followed by ...Bf8, with a roughly equal position.
Players who look for something sharper can investigate 4...b4!?. For example 5.e4 d6 6.f4!? g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.Bd3 0-0 9.0-0 e6.
Black seems to have a good version of a Modern Benoni, chances are about equal.
Interested in 4.Qc2 from White’s point of view? GM Evgeny Postny makes a case for it in his Complete Repertoire against the Benko Gambit.
White prepares e2-e4 and plays for an advantage in space. 4...g6 is again not the optimal way to meet 4.Nd2. White gets a pleasant position after 5.e4 bxc4 6.Bxc4 d6 7.b3. It’s an achievement that White can oppose Black’s g7 bishop with Bb2. 7...Bg7 8.Bb2 0-0 9.Ngf3.
This is exactly the position White is hoping for when going for 4.Nd2. He controls more space and Black’s possibilities for active counterplay are limited.
Fortunately, from Black’s perspective, there’s a reliable solution. 4...bxc4 (Black can also reverse the move order with 4...e6 5.e4 bxc4) 5.e4 e6!. Attacking the center in this way is very logical as White has developed his queen’s knight to the less active d2-square instead of c3. 6.Bxc4 exd5 7.exd5 d6 8.Ne2 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.b3 Nbd7 11.Bb2 Nb6 12.Nc3 Rb8!?.
Black wants to force White to take on c4 with the knight to keep the d5-pawn isolated. A possible continuation: 13.Qc2 Re8 14.Rfe1 Bf8 15.h3 Bb7, with about equal chances. We already saw a similar position in the line with 4.Qc2. White has more space, while Black has no weaknesses and has counterplay against d5.
Engine evaluation with a depth of 70 shows a value of around 0.4. So we can conclude that the Benko Gambit does not lose and is essentially “correct”. However such data provides no information about how difficult or easy it is to play in practice. MegaBase shows that White scores around 52 percent (in roughly 60000 games) after 3...b5. This is remarkably good from Black’s perspective – as far as I know, only the Nimzo-Indian Defence scores better (ca. 51 percent). That leads us to the conclusion that a well prepared Benko Gambit aficionado can expect good practical results!
One thing is for sure: the Benko Gambit is an excellent weapon for Rapid- and Blitz-games! Often Black gets an active position with good tactical possibilities. It’s hard for White to keep things under control when the clock is ticking. Can it be played on a regular basis in regular tournament games? I guess it’s possible if you are a die-hard fan, though in this case you will now and again face some poisonous prep. In my opinion, the Benko Gambit is a perfect opening to have in your repertoire in order to play it from time to time. Many strong GMs and even World Champions wheeled it out for the odd game with great results: Kasparov, Anand, Leko, and, on a more regular basis, Khalifman.
The Benko Gambit is a good fit for positional players with an enterprising style. In many variations Black gets lots of activity and sometimes even manages to take over the initiative. It’s a good choice from club player level upwards. The basic theory one needs to know is comparatively small and a good knowledge of typical manoeuvres and tactical motives is sufficient to start playing it with success.