The Battering Benko

Submitted by KillaBeez on Tue, 10/27/2009 at 7:22pm.

The Benko Gambit is one of Black's modern tries against d4.  Black attempts to sacrifice a flank pawn to gain open files on the queenside and wrest the initiative away from White.  Top Grandmasters such as Carlsen, Topalov, and even Kasparov have played it.  Here is a game played by Kasparov in which he utterly crushes his opponent despite the fact that his opponent declined the gambit.  Fully annotated by myself.

 

Comments:

by Catalyst_Kh - 2 days ago
Kharkov Ukraine
Member Since: Jan 2009
Member Points: 1047
by Catalyst_Kh - 18 days ago
Kharkov Ukraine
Member Since: Jan 2009
Member Points: 1047

I didn't attacked you personally, i just wanted to warn you with historical example of the possible future outcome of such an arrogance, so you could think about it very good. As an advice. But now i can see that it is not casual judgment, but very deliberated opinion of yours. So, maybe it is you are the one who is attacking other people with hidden insults of their tallents? Wink Maybe in the place where i live the avarage IQ very different from the avarage IQ of people in your place and that was the point of our disagreement. I don't blame you in anything, if it is you personal choice then it is up to you to live with that.

by vasilicus - 19 days ago
Kansas City United States
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 31

Regardless of white's rating, he still made some pretty worthless moves here.  I mean, this was really really really bad. 

by KillaBeez - 21 days ago
Kansas United States
Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 4056

So instead of actually looking at reason, you just attack me personally?  Not everybody can become a GM.    Being a grandmaster doesn't mean that you have acquired a certain knowledge of chess.  It means you are in the 99.987th percentile of all tournament players.  Someone with an average IQ cannot be in such a percentile no matter how hard they try.  It's like somebody without a propensity for languages trying to master 50 languages.  No matter how much effort they put into it, they won't be able to accomplish the task in their short lifetime.

(I calculated the percentile by dividing the number of grandmasters by the number of FIDE registered tournament players.  That doesn't even include USCF and other national chess organizations)

by Catalyst_Kh - 21 days ago
Kharkov Ukraine
Member Since: Jan 2009
Member Points: 1047

I'm sorry, but without high natural talent for the game, nobody will reach GM

It is absolutely incorrect. Any man or woman who has good brain, not damaged and not stupid - can became a GM, the talent influence only on time factor, on the speed of learning. Don't be so arrogant and don't repeat Fischer's mistakes - when he became older he considered that not only untalented people are hopeless losers, but also all womens and all jews are stupied losers (and many other people categories as well, i dont remember in details), not capable for any achievements. But of course he became such extremely aggorant not in one day, he started it from the youth with little steps, who knows - maybe he started from calling all untalented people as stupied losers. Think about it some time.

by KillaBeez - 24 days ago
Kansas United States
Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 4056

I'm sorry, but without high natural talent for the game, nobody will reach GM.  While I admit GMs make mistakes, it isn't fair to call them incompetent.

by channet - 24 days ago
United Arab Emirates
Member Since: Jun 2009
Member Points: 70

Vasilicus, the White player was a Scandinavian GM. If you want to call GMs astoundingly incompetent, try becoming one yourself.

(Hint: You won't.)??????>>>.....

it is not right that GM every move is the right one in situations,they too makes wrong moves,and also becoming GM ,it is not right he or she cant become a GM,its their life and gets money we doesnt, but if we want it too we can gain it,see how much time and training they r spending to become a GM and how much we spend comparinig to them,if we too are ready to devote things for title we might be a gm better than them with less or more effort,

by shareefh - 24 days ago
Amman Jordan
Member Since: Sep 2009
Member Points: 165

I really facinated by the black 15.    c4!

Creating in chess is Kasparov Habit..Kasparov is Chess Legend..

by h777 - 26 days ago
Vancouver Canada
Member Since: Nov 2008
Member Points: 7611

very well played by black!

by Lukez - 26 days ago
Ann Arbor United States
Member Since: Feb 2009
Member Points: 13

I play the benko, or towards it, in response to d4 all the time, I find some pretty good positional edges for a measly pawn. At first I misread the title of the article article I thought, 'Oh crap, he's going to show a way to get a solid position for white', I thought it might give an edge to my opponents in some of my correspondence games. Fortunately I was incorrect :). Good show Kasparov.

by KillaBeez - 27 days ago
Kansas United States
Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 4056

Vasilicus, the White player was a Scandinavian GM.  If you want to call GMs astoundingly incompetent, try becoming one yourself.

(Hint: You won't.Smile)

by Maishall - 27 days ago
Greenacre Australia
Member Since: Sep 2009
Member Points: 24

Excellent commentary.

by Hurrican3 - 27 days ago
Ontario Canada
Member Since: Mar 2009
Member Points: 93

"Not really demonstrating the Battering characteristics of the Benko so much as the astounding incompetence of the white player."

I'm sure Kasparov would make most players look incompetent in that situation! Tongue out

by Catalyst_Kh - 27 days ago
Kharkov Ukraine
Member Since: Jan 2009
Member Points: 1047

Interesting comments, thanks. But white has other options at 15 move, you should mention them. Smile And 21...Rxb2 with 21...Nxb2 also eager to be explained.

by Gerik - 27 days ago
Jackson United States
Member Since: Mar 2009
Member Points: 540

very nice! thank you for posting it.

by vasilicus - 27 days ago
Kansas City United States
Member Since: May 2008
Member Points: 31

Oh my gosh, so many wrong moves.  Bc4 is possibly the worst thing I have ever seen in my life, simultaneously taking the c4 square away from the knight and allowing black to kill it off.  a4 too early.  a5 way too early.  Bxa6??.  The exclamation point on c4 is unnecessary since any class player would find it.  The only significance of the move is that the rest of the annotations and moves after that point are unnecessary since any player with half a brain would resign at that point.  Watching the rest of the game was almost like watching you annotate a QK v K mate.

Just kidding, this was pretty dreadful though.  Not really demonstrating the Battering characteristics of the Benko so much as the astounding incompetence of the white player. 

 

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