A Beautiful Benko

Submitted by ih8sens on Tue, 08/18/2009 at 11:15am.

Here's a fun game I played today with one of my regular opponents.

The Benko is really an interesting line. Black sacs a pawn for what appears to be a very tiny lead in development. It turns out (much to the surprise of many) that the sacrifice is largely positional. Black is looking forward to his active piece play in the endgame, at the cost of a protected passed pawn! It seems rather insane, yet in practice it can create quite the battle of ideas.

This game features a theoretical novelty by my young opponent Adam Cormier (runner up in the junior section of the latest Hamilton closed), a complicated exchange sac by myself, and a fascinating battle of ideas: Piece activity vs. Material.

» posted in Chess According To ih8sens

| 115 reads | 5 comments

Comments:

by ih8sens - 3 months ago
Sudbury, Ontario Canada

Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 2815

Wouldn't lose it right away anyways :P. Great analysis, the_cheradine, .... and an great example of how Rybka can be useless, even in very tactical positions. Rybka considered f4 to be Bar -none best... Kg2 and white is barely better. ... yet it was doubtless the more practical choice.

by the_cheradenine - 3 months ago
Novi Sad Serbia

Member Since: Jun 2009
Member Points: 3

well, it is my personal opinion that f4 was already weak in the long term, 'cause it additionaly exposes the king and opens the second rank for intrusion and checks later on. playing simply Kg2 and then maybe pushing the h pawn would, I guess, at least not lose game :)