1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.a4 Bg4 opens the Modern Benoni: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... Bg4, ECO A75. With 20,134 games on record, the patterns below come from the largest practical sample available.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the Modern Benoni: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... 10.a4. Among the most prolific White practitioners are Svetozar Gligoric (10 games), Krzysztof Panczyk (5 games), Alexander G Beliavsky (5 games). Black-side regulars include Roi Reinaldo Castineira (7 games), Nick E De Firmian (5 games), Milos Pavlovic (4 games).
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the Modern Benoni: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4... Bg4. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is h3, played 41.2% of the time. There are 6 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 82.4% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 2.18. By 2500, Nd2 dominates at 45.4% of replies; only 3 viable alternatives remain and 90.6% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 2.02.
Common Mistakes
- Playing outside main lines — At 400 Elo, only 0% of moves follow established theory — at 2000 that climbs to 81.7%. Most of the gap is players who pick a reasonable-looking move over the best one, and the position quietly drifts.
- Neglecting development — It can feel productive to make extra pawn moves early, but falling behind in piece development is what loses most amateur games — especially in open positions where active pieces find squares fast.
- Letting White own the centre — Hypermodern openings concede central space on purpose, but only if you strike back in time. Delay the counter-blow and you end up squeezed.
Practice on Chessiverse
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