The Benko Gambit is undoubtedly one of Black's most exciting openings. In return for a pawn investment Black gains long-term pressure, which is often so powerful it continues right through into the endgame. White must decide whether to grab the pawn and hold on, or to choose a more aggressive approach. Either way, Black generally succeeds in his aim of unbalancing the position from a very early stage.

In this book, Nicolai V. Pedersen presents a concise and practical repertoire for Black within the Benko Gambit. Using illustrative games, he examines the critical main lines of the gambit, the tricky sidelines and also explains how to meet the various options White has of avoiding the Benko. Studying this book will allow you to play the Benko Gambit with confidence in your own games.

• A complete repertoire for Black in the Benko Gambit
• Also covers Anti-Benko lines and 2 Nf3 c5
• Examines the typical ideas and plans for both sides

Content:
004 Bibliography

005 Introduction

Benko Accepted

012 1. The Fianchetto Variation

033 2. The Classical Variation

073 3. The 'Quiet' 5 e3

Benko Declined

085 4. The 5 f3 Variation

099 5. White plays b5-b6

114 6. Other Options for White

Anti-Benko

149 7. The Kasparov Gambit

173 8. The Topalov Variation

202 Index of Variations

207 Index of Complete Games