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1. d4
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The following is an instructive example (I hope!) of White slowly gaining control of first a few key squares, then a key file, next the entire queenside, and ultimately the whole board! Black's negligence in creating counterplay (a must for Black in the Benoni - else he is simply worse!) dooms him to passivity. A fine example of Black succumbing to the natural positional disadvantages of the Benoni structure. No tactics here!
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1... Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c5 4. d5 b5
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Introducing the Benko gambit, a Benoni weapon respected even at the highest levels (largely as a surprise weapon). This opening is often cited as a "modern" example of gambit play, which is to say emphasizing long-term positional compensation rather than short-term attacking chances. In the Benko Accepted, Black uses 2 open files and ..Ba6 (pestering White's kingside development, as if the e-pawn moves Black will complicate White's development via ...Bxf1) along with ...Bg7 and a queen move to slowly build up pressure on White's queenside.
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5. cxb5 a6 6. b6
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Kasparov's startling idea, as mentioned briefly in a previous annotation. White not only declines the gambit, but he expends an opening tempo just to return the pawn! White reasons that the extra tempo is well-spent in complicating Black's desired queenside build-up. Again we see long-term ideas trumping immediate aims - e.g. White can simply play for a lead in development instead via 6.Nc3. Certainly many moves have been tried, but 6.b6 has become the favored way to decline the gambit. A truly remarkable idea.
Alternative variation: 6. Nc3 axb5
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6... Qxb6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. e4 d6 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O Nfd7
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An interesting choice. More common (and objectively better) is the simple ..Nbd7. The text immediately introduces the g7 bishop, but Black remains cramped and it's not clear that the bishop's activity compensates for this.
Alternative variation: 10... Nbd7
Alternative variation: [Even worse is] 10... Bg4 11. Nd2 Bxe2 12. Qxe2 [ When White gets on with his plan and Black helpfully exchanges White's bad bishop!]
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11. Nd2
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A typical idea in Benoni structures, heading to a marvelous outpost on c4.
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11... a5
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Clearing the way for ..Ba6 at the cost of weakening the b5 square. Such is the trauma visited after Black's ..Nfd7. Another plan to contest c4 is ..Qb7 and ..Nb6. Other ideas are simply too slow or too passive.
Alternative variation: 11... Qb7 12. Nc4 Nb6
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12. a4
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A weakening move that is not strictly necessary. ..a5-a4 was not a threat, and White already controlled b5 via his light-squared bishop. Now Black can try ..Na6-b5 at some point, with a nice outpost. Still, securing b5 permanently via 12.a4 is not all bad. It's simply more accurate to continue with necessary moves like Nc4 and Qc2, or even f4!?
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12... Ba6
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Black plays right into White's hands. A tricky point of a4 is that it makes ..Ba6 simply unattractive due to 13.Nb5. This helps White consolidate control over c4 as well as b5. Black underestimates the strength of this move.
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13. Nb5
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With Black so cramped, it will be hard to contest this knight with another minor piece. Certainly ..Bxb5? is a weak plan, as after 14.Bxb5 White's bad bishop has taken on a crushing role on the queenside, allowing White to expand gleefully in the center via f4 as his bishop scurries along the f1-a6 diagonal as needed. The 2 bishops would be a winning advantage.
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13... Nf6
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A sorry decision. The black knight returns to f6, plotting a time-consuming maneuver to c7 in order to challenge the White knight.
Alternative variation: [After] 13... Bxb5 14. Bxb5 Qc7 15. Nc4 Ne5 16. Ne3 Na6 17. Bd2 Nb4 18. Bc3 [ White is just winning (note how the b4 knight is utterly irrelevant)]
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14. Qc2 Ne8 15. Nc4 Qb7
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Giving up the a-pawn, but there is little else. White has several great squares for his pieces and enjoys easy maneuvering due to his space advantage. Black, meanwhile, has no counterplay; it follows that White has all the time he needs to organize a breakthrough on virtually any part of the board.
Alternative variation: 15... Qd8 16. Bd2 Bb7 17. Bc3 [And White has an ideal position.]
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16. Nxa5 Qc8 17. Bd2
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Virtually anything wins here. White can play such diverse ideas as f2-f4 and Bg5 to the same effect. Though Black's doom is far off, it is virtually assured. The game continuation is instructive as an example of converting a massive positional advantage into a material one via tremendous pressure on one part of the board. In particular, this idea of a queenside stranglehold building into irresistible pressure occurs commonly in many d-pawn openings where White plays d4-d5, as in the Benoni and King's Indian.
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17... Nc7 18. Rfb1 Nd7 19. Nc6
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With tempo. The e7 fork is threatened.
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19... Re8
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Black's only defensive options are passive.
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20. Bc3
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The ideal square.
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20... Bxb5 21. axb5
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An accurate decision. The bishop capture leads to unnecessary liquidation, and even this "bad" piece may prove useful in an endgame scenario or if White chooses to play f4 and Bf3.
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21... Qb7
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21..e6, attacking the White pawn chain that has caused so many problems for Black, is more in the spirit of things. Still hopeless though! White's pieces have become far too active for simple pawn chain attacks to restore balance.
Alternative variation: 21... e6 22. dxe6 fxe6 23. b4
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22. Qb3
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Supporting b5, but not strictly necessary. White could simply trade rooks and bishops and then play either b4 or Nxe7 (depending on the a1 captor). The c5 pawn is immune to capture owing to Qb3 and a brutal pin. Still, White need not cash in immediately, as Black has trouble doing more than shuffling pieces around in defense.
Alternative variation: 22. Rxa8 Qxa8 (22... Rxa8 23. Nxe7 Kf8 24. Nc6 Nxb5 25. Qb3) 23. Bxg7 Kxg7 24. b4
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22... Nb6 23. Rxa8 Qxa8 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Qc3+ Kg8 26. b4
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White uses the liquidation b4 plan discussed earlier. It is no less effective now than before.
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26... cxb4 27. Nxb4 Qb7 28. Ra1 Ra8 29. Rxa8+ Ncxa8 30. Nc6 f6
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Creating an even more serious hole on e6, but there is nothing else. The maneuver ..Na4-c5, freeing b5 for the a8 knight (what an awful square for a knight!) is desirable, but too slow.
Alternative variation: 30... Na4 31. Qh3 N8b6 32. Qh4 f6 33. Bg4 Nc5 34. Qh6 Qc7 35. h4
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