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The Benko Gambit Revealed Reviewed by Rick Kennedy
Books covering a particular chess opening are usually of contrasting types. There is the analysis-by-variation format which branches off at each successive alternative move for White and Black, like Kotov’s proverbial tree. One of the strengths of this method of analysis is its inclusiveness – many, if not all, of the options a player has at any given moment are considered and/or explored. It is possible to get lost in the branches – how does line B24b5 compare with D13c2, for example – but a good author (or editor) can compensate by using chapters and diagrams wisely, and by catching and pointing out transpositions. Often the reader comes to the end of a line and finds an evaluation and maybe a suggestion, but he doesn’t know how the game continued – although sometimes a book in this format will give a few game examples at the end of a chapter to flesh things out. The second, and currently more popular, style is that of an organized-collection-of-relevant-annotated-games, in which the author presents recent or relevant or critical games from start to finish – and then puts lesser sidelines or options in the notes to the moves. The strengths and weaknesses of this method all revolve around how well the author chooses the games, and what he includes in his notes. A third format was seen briefly, when Macmillan introduced its read-and-play opening books, e.g. Mastering the Modern Benoni and the Benko Gambit with the Read and Play Method (1990). Focusing upon different types of centers and pawn and piece placements that the opening produced, the books primarily presented the relevant strategic ideas – followed by some illustrative annotated games. It was an effective way to teach a club player, but the format does not seem to have caught on. Recently, the publisher Batsford embarked upon its “Revealed” series of books, which intends to take another look at how to explain openings. I happened upon Neil McDonald’s The Benko Gambit Revealed, noting in passing that a year earlier the Gruenfeld had been revealed by Michael Khodarkovsky. McDonald has written a summary in his Introduction:
After a short “Introduction,” McDonald’s “First Moves” chapter traces fifteen moves of a “typical Benko Gambit game”: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.e4 Bxf1 8.Kxf1 d6 9.Nf3 Bg7 10.g3 Nbd7 11.Kg2 0-0 12.Re1 Qa5 13.h3 Rfb8 14.Re2 Ne8 15.Rc2 Nb6. As elsewhere in The Benko Gambit Revealed, his comments not only touch on the development of Black’s game from the first move forward, but also on some of the line’s history, as the opening has developed over time. By placing the opening in the hands of real live players at certain tournaments or at identifiable points in time, he warms up the analysis, and engages the reader:
The chapter “Heroes and Zeros,” designed to give “the best and worst performances with the opening,” focuses on David Bronstein, Pal Benko, Lev Alburt, and Jon Fedorowicz, while mentioning, in addition, Alexander Khalifman, Veselin Topalov, Michael Adams and Peter Leko as Benkoists at one time or another. The Skopje Olympiad in 1972 is touched on as a sort of “hero,” as there the Benko Gambit was played 16 times – resulting in ten wins for Black and six draws! For me, though, the most fascinating part of the chapter was MacDonald’s analysis of the game Nimzowitsch – Capablanca, St. Petersburg 1914 - a Four Knights’ Game that transposed into something that looked very much like the Mainline Benko Gambit, and which was played by Capa with a strategic understanding that was 50 years ahead of the rest of the world. Readers who have gotten through the first 40 pages of The Benko Gambit Revealed will be drooling and looking for a bit of red meat, and they will find almost 60 pages of “Strategy in the Benko” to keep them satisfied. A combination of explanation of strategy and presentation of annotated games, here is a deeper look (imagine a microscope focusing in) at what is going on – again with a sense of the development and maturation of the opening, as players with the White pieces have learned important lessons from their mistakes. For example, in the Benko Black gives up a pawn for open lines and pressure against White’s Queenside, and he’s very happy to go into an endgame where, paradoxically, he usually has good winning chances. “What’s Hot” is another 60 or so pages wherein the reader – cheered on by early chapters, tutored in Benko Gambit strategy – learns what he needs to know in order to deal with the cutting edge of what’s happening currently, “the sharp attacking lines which will send you to the underworld in around 20 moves if you don’t know anything about them.” McDonald is familiar with the relevant Benko Gambit sources (his Bibliography cites books, periodicals, the Internet and databases), points out improvements, and makes recommendations. Still, commenting on Epishin – Schuurman, Creon 2002 (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.g3 d6 9.Bg2 Nbd7 10.Rb1 0-0 11.0-0 Nb6 12.b3 Ra7 13.Re1 Qa8 14.Nh4 Rb8 15.Bb2 Ne8 16.Ba1 Nc7 17.e4 Nd7 18.Nf3 Nb5 19.Nxb5 Rxb5 20.e5 etc) he admits:
Pointing out that the Fianchetto Variation (above) has been scoring well for White at the top, he nonetheless encourages the reader – no doubt an adventurous club or tournament player – to be patient with Black, and take his chances. The next three chapters –“Benko Trips and Traps,” “Test Positions” and “Solutions” – give plenty of attention to the tactical side of the Gambit. McDonald provides the appropriate amount of whimsy and gravitas, as shown in the following Test Position, from Almond – Palatnik, Hastings 1999
White played 20.Bxd4, after which he is two connected passed pawns up on the queenside… WARNING – before you reach such a position as Black you must have something concrete in mind – otherwise you might as well resign. The game continued 20.Bxd4? Rxa4! 21.Bxg7 Qa7+ 22.Kh1 Rxa2 23.Rb2 Rxb2 24.Qxb2 Qe3! 25.Bh6 Nf6 26.Qa1 Qxe4! 27.Re1 Qxd5 28.Rxe7 Ra8 29.Qe1 Qd4! 30.Rc7 Ng4! 31.Rc4 Qf2! 32.Qc1 Nxh6 0-1, as found in the “Solutions” chapter, (with annotations). Those who get all twitchy without at least some lines of straight analysis will enjoy the 17 packed pages in the “Details” chapter. As throughout the book, there is attention paid to move order, and unusual lines, as well as those where White quickly gives back the gambit pawn. A one page “Before the Fight” and the “Bibliography” close out the book. I like the “revealed” structure for presenting material, and, like with the read-and-play method, I think it will prove helpful for players learning and/or polishing up the Benko Gambit. A few quirks can be pointed out, although they shouldn’t make the book unsuitable for most readers. Each test position is introduced with the names of the players, the location of the game, and the year played; as well as with a diagram. Each matching solution is identified by names as well. I would have preferred them to be numbered, too, to ease in moving from one to the other, but this is only a quibble. The book is laid out in a single column design, allowing for plenty of white space that makes the diagrams easy to view and the text easy to read. Some readers will prefer double columns or more compacted pages – with a “feel” of more information jammed in, I guess, although The Benko Gambit Revealed is quite comprehensive. (I love my copy of John Watson’s Play the French, for example, as it has so much jammed into it that it feels claustrophobic.) Finally, there is no index. I think that’s intentional, as part of the “revealed” structure – this is a teaching book, not an encyclopedia – but I’m left to my own devices if I want to check a line that I’m sure McDonald covered, but I can’t remember exactly where. The book’s layout allows for you to track things down, but an index of variations would help. I
hope many players pick up McDonald’s book, and, in turn, pick up the Benko.
As a defense the Benko Gambit has weathered the test of time, and probably
only needs a few more “heroes” or heroic performances to bring it back to
the limelight – although, like the Sicilian Dragon, I suspect that in play
below the master level, it has probably never been out of the limelight.
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