The Benko's Opening: Reversed Alekhine begins with 1.g3 e5 2.Nf3 (ECO A00). With 698,525 games on record, the patterns below come from the largest practical sample available.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the Benko's Opening.
Performance Across Rating Levels
Popularity and results vary sharply by rating level. The 1200 bracket has 130,098 games (0.02% of all games at that level); White wins 45.5%, Black 50.2%, 4.2% are drawn. By 1800, popularity is 0.01% and White's score is 52.1% to Black's 43.8%. At the top end (2500+ Elo), popularity is 0.01% with 8.2% draws — a clear sign of how much theory rules the line at master level.
Time Control Patterns
The Benko's Opening: Reversed Alekhine skews toward bullet chess. In bullet, it appears in 0.07% of games (1,804,288); White wins 50.7%. Blitz shows 0.01% adoption across 527,445 games, White scoring 48.4%. In rapid, the share rises to 0.02% — 171,080 games, White 44.7%. White's score swings 6.0pp across formats, so time control isn't just a stylistic choice here — it shifts the actual results.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
What players actually play after the opening moves depends heavily on rating. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is Nc6, played 43.8% of the time. There are 3 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 78.3% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 2.47. By 2500, e4 dominates at 74% of replies; only 2 viable alternatives remain and 95.8% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 1.20. The narrowing is significant — strong players consolidate around a small set of best moves, while amateurs scatter across many plausible-looking options.
Historical Trends
Tracking the Benko's Opening: Reversed Alekhine year over year shows a clear story. Adoption peaked in 2021 at 0.02% (135,165 games). By 2025 it sits at 0.01% — a 8% shift overall, leaving the line flat.
Common Mistakes
- Drifting away from main theory — At 400 Elo, theory adherence sits at 65.1% — versus 91.3% at 2000. The most popular deviation is d6 (played 14.7% of the time at 400, much less so up top). It looks fine but quietly hands the better-prepared side an edge.
- Neglecting development — Extra pawn moves in the opening are tempting, especially when you "know the moves". Developing a piece each turn is the simple correction.
- Playing without a plan — Each Benko's Opening: Reversed Alekhine middlegame demands a specific approach. Decide whether the position calls for attack, manoeuvre, or simplification before reaching for a move.
Practice on Chessiverse
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