Download PGN of February ’26 Nimzo and Benoni games
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Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3 b6 5 Nge2 [E45]
4 e3 b6 5 Nge2 Ba6 6 a3 Bxc3+ 7 Nxc3 d5 8 b3 0-0:
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In previous updates we’ve focussed on the retreat 6...Be7, but 6...Bxc3+ is equally playable. With 7...d5 Black puts pressure on d5 and is happy with an exchange of bishops. In the diagrammed position White normally plays 9 Be2. In a recent game, however, White preferred 9 Bb2. Black responded well with 9...Nc6! planning ...Na5 to pressure the c4-pawn. After 10 cxd5 Bxf1 11 Kxf1 exd5 Black is fine, so White tried the pawn sacrifice 11 dxc6!? Bxg2 12 Rg1 Bxc6:
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and now another pawn sacrifice with 13 d5! - see Ivanisevic, I - Tregubov, P for analysis.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 a3 Bxc3+ 7 bxc3 dxc4 8 Bxc4 c5 9 Nf3 [E53]
4 e3 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 a3 Bxc3+ 7 bxc3 dxc4 8 Bxc4 c5 9 Nf3 Qa5!? 10 Bd2 Ne4!:
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9...Qc7 is by far the most popular choice and has been covered here on numerous occasions. The idea of 9...Qa5 10 Bd2 Ne4 is to get rid of White’s bishop pair. This is of course strategically desirable for Black. The only downside of the plan is that it does consume some time. See Abasov, N - Ahmad, K for details.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3 0-0 5 Bd2 d5 6 Nf3 [E51]
4 e3 0-0 5 Bd2 d5 6 Nf3 Nbd7 7 Rc1 Be7 8 Bd3 dxc4! 9 Bxc4 c5:
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As we’ve seen before, 8...dxc4 allows Black to reach a satisfactory position by simple means. This is the point behind 7... Be7 over 7...c6. Black goes for a QGA structure where ...c5 is played in one go. The recent game Boruchovsky, A - Rodshtein, M is a model example of how Black should play: 10 Qe2 a6 11 a4 b6 12 0-0 Bb7 13 Rfd1 Qb8!
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A nice idea, borrowed from the QGA. The queen exerts her influence on the key b8-h2 diagonal without being exposed on the same file as a white rook.
Nimzo-Indian: 4 f3 d5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 c5 7 cxd5 [E25]
4 f3 d5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 c5 7 cxd5 exd5 8 e3 Qc7!?:
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8...0-0 is the most popular choice here, reaching the Botvinnik-Capablanca variation.
I’m indebted to subscriber Anthony Harris, who reminded me of this rare queen move. I first became aware of 8...Qc7 all the way back in 1991, after the Romanian GM Mihai Suba won a very nice game against Peter Wells. We haven’t covered it for some time, so an update using modern engines is due. With 8...Qc7 Black delays castling and sets about gaining some counterplay by using the c-file. 9 Ra2 Bf5! is a development in this line. 9...cxd4 10 cxd4 Bf5 was the old way to play the position, but ways have been discovered to negate Black’s play on the open c-file. Modern engines prefer to delay or avoid exchanging on d4. See the correspondence game Ivec, I - Wharrier, J for analysis.
Queen’s Indian: 4 a3 Ba6 [E12]
4 a3 Ba6 5 Qc2 Bb7 6 Nc3 c5 7 d5!?:
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4...Ba6 was popular in the 1980s and 90s, but is less so now. Black’s idea is to lure the white queen to c2 before playing ...Bb7 in preparation of ...c5. 7 d5 is the move 4...Ba6 is supposed to prevent, but it’s still playable as a pawn sacrifice similar to the far more popular one after 4 g3 Ba6 5 Qc2 Bb7 6 Bg2 c5 7 d5. After 7...exd5 8 cxd5 Nxd5:
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9 Bg5 has been White’s most popular choice, but Black is fine. 9...Be7! 10 Nb5 0-0 11 Nd6 Ne3! is a brilliant idea, but Black doesn’t even need this. In a recent game, White instead tried 9 Nxd5 Bxd5 10 Bf4 - see Boyer, M - Delgado Ramirez, N for details.
Czech Benoni 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e5 4 Nc3 d6 5 e4 Be7 [E56]
The Czech Benoni has never enjoyed a particularly good reputation, and modern engines haven’t been kind to it either. However, some players do enjoy the blocked positions arising from it. White has a few ways to maintain some advantage, but the following idea, played by subscriber Doug Schwetke, certainly appeals: 6 Be2 Nbd7 7 Be3 0-0
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8 g4! This has been played only a few times on my database, but it looks like a powerful idea. The pawn advance works well here, just as it does in some lines of the King’s Indian (for example, 2...g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 h3 0-0 6 Be3 e5 7 d5 Na6 8 g4!). White gains considerable space on the kingside, and Black finds it difficult to get counterplay. See the notes to Schwetke, D - Morales, S.
Till next time, John
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Feel free to share your ideas and opinions on the Forum (the link above on the right), while subscribers with any questions can email me at JohnEmms@ChessPublishing.com.