The Benko Gambit [A59] by Abby Marshall This month's column also comes from a reader request: what to do as white against the Volga-Benko Gambit. Dante Zuniga from Canada wrote, “I always look forward to your monthly column. My problem is in regard to the Benko Gambit. It seems that the lines are easier to play for black than white. I hope you can give me a system that I can use for white.” 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 Pal Benko popularized this opening in the 1960s. It had been used by several high-level players a couple decades before this and in Russia it is called the Volga Gambit. 3...e6 is the most common move outside the gambit. 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 is the Modern … [Read more...]